As computer chips have shrunk, managing power consumption and heat has become harder. Researchers have explored another way to build components: harnessing not just the electricity electrons carry but also one of their magnetic properties.
The idea has already helped hard drives read data. It could also make components faster and less power-hungry. How does it work, and what still needs to happen before it shows up in a computer or phone?
More Than Electrical Current
In a conventional computer, information is tied to the electrons’ electrical charge. In a field called spintronics, researchers are exploring whether they can use another property of electrons: their magnetic properties. That could open up new ways to store, detect, and alter information.
One approach uses thin layers, alternating magnetic materials with nonmagnetic ones. A magnetic field, which can exert forces on magnetic materials, can change the magnetic orientation of one layer relative to another. As the orientations shift, so does electrical resistance: how difficult it is for current to flow through a material. That makes it possible to detect the magnetic state and read information.
A Current That Can Change Data, Too
Researchers have also studied the reverse process. An electrical current can change the magnetic state of the layers. In other words, the current can do more than read stored information; it can alter it, too.
One application has already made its way into hard drives: sensors that detect changes in resistance have helped read heads retrieve data. In the future, the same approach could be used in memory, sensors, and information-processing components. According to the document, such devices could operate faster and use less power than conventional ones. They may also be more resistant to radiation.
What We Still Don’t Know
It is unclear whether or when advanced applications will reach products such as computers and phones. The document described a promising field but said many of its applications still require substantial development.
Instead of merely moving electrons, perhaps one day we’ll be able to control their magnetic properties, too.
