Research summary: Superconducting material has spintronic properties too

In a paper in the journal Nature Electronics, University of Wisconsin—Madison researchers Chang-Beom Eom, the Raymond R. Holton Chair for Engineering and Theodore H. Geballe Professor in materials science and engineering, and Mark Rzchowski, a professor of physics, explore a superconducting material that has important spintronic properties.

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Key Points

1. The finding: The researchers discovered that a bismuthate oxide material “Ba(Pb,Bi)O3,” known for its superconducting properties, also exhibits extremely high spin orbit torque, making it promising for spintronics.
2. Background: Spintronics utilizes the spin state of electrons, manipulated by magnetic fields, for faster, more energy-efficient, and powerful computing compared to conventional electronics.
3. Importance: The material’s unique combination of superconductivity and high spin properties makes it a potential candidate for next-gen memory and computing devices.
4. The process: The researchers grew thin films of Ba(Pb,Bi)O3 using epitaxy and created layered heterostructures to test spin properties, finding a charge-to-spin conversion efficiency 70 times greater than expected.
5. How it works: Small bonding structure modifications, not initially considered in theoretical calculations, are believed to influence spin-orbit interactions significantly.
6. What’s next: Further exploration aims to understand the atomic-level interplay between spin-orbit phenomenon and superconductivity, with the goal of designing new spintronic materials based on oxides.