Magnetoelectronics
Magnetoelectronics is a field of functional microelectronics associated with the emergence of new magnetic materials that have low saturation magnetization and with the development of technological methods for obtaining thin magnetic films. Re-magnetisation of a thin film element, the thickness of which usually does not exceed the thickness of a single domain, requires 10-20 times less energy and 10-30 times less time than the remagnetisation of a ferrite core.
Of greatest interest is the use of thin-film metallic magnetic materials (magnetic materail) in microelectronic memory devices (MDs), where thin magnetic films are used as a memory element. These films make it possible to create reliable fast memories with low control power. Cylindrical magnetic domain memory devices are very promising. Recording density of such devices reaches 105 bits/cm2, while the information processing rate is 3 × 10 bits/sec. The advantage of these devices is also that the magnetic domains can form a system of identical elements that implement the functions of logic, memory and switching without violating the homogeneity of the structure of the information carrier material. So, a crystal on magnetic domains is a computing medium, on the surface of which a system of external applications can be used to place circuits that implement various combinations of logic, switching and memory functions.
Not only computer memory elements (memory elements), but also logic circuits, magnetic amplifiers and other devices can be built on thin magnetic films.
New materials – magnetic semiconductors – offer broad prospects for the construction of various functional devices. These include magnetics, which are not characterized by the metallic nature of electrical conductivity and the combination of magnetic and non-magnetic elements. Currently known magnetic semiconductors include europium chalcogenides, chromium chalcogenide spinels, heavily alloyed ferrites (e.g., silicon-doped zalizoitrium garnet), etc.