Spintronics

Code:

FIS4026

Acronym:

FIS4026

Level:

400

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Physics

Instance: 2023/2024 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Physics and Astronomy
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Engineering Physics

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
M:EF	14	Official Study Plan since 2021_M:EF	2	-	6	42	162
M:F	2	Official Study Plan	2	-	6	42	162

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

• To introduce the student with the concepts of spintronics. To understand the use of the spin degree of freedom for new applications.


• To Give a transversal and updated vision of the recent developments of spintronics.


• To understand the physical phenomena that form the basis of spintronics in magnetic and semiconductor nanostructures.


• To give a general training on the principles and characterization techniques of new devices that actively use spintronics.


• To build a knowledge base that enables the student to acquire skills that enable him to exercise, in good conditions, professional activity in the area or proceeding to more advanced studies

Learning outcomes and competences

The area of spintronics have a highly innovative and applied area, several topics related with our everyday life, namely hard drives and magnetic memories or motors. Thus, this course is clearly favorable to the development of integrated problem analysis skills from concept, through the understanding of physical phenomena and ending in applications. The teaching methodology taking into account a strong interaction between teacher and student through an evaluation continues with regular exercises each 15 days, oral presentations and written assignments. They are also invited some experts in certain areas of research to give lectures on their areas so students realized the problems of day-to-day research or development technologies. This methodology has as main advantages the transmission of knowledge through contact with different perspectives, allowing students to learn different methods of problem solving and different perspectives, whether scientific, or technological, thus enriching the students' experience in situations practices. On the other hand, the application of acquired knowledge to real cases has proven more effectively

Working method

Presencial

Program

Itinerant magnetism and spin polarization.

Laudau-Liftshitz equations.

Ferromagnetic resonance.

Spin waves in materials and magnetic structures.

Relaxation phenomena.

Giant magnetoresistance.

Spin tunnel effect and spin injection.

Colossal magnetoresistance.

Magnetoresistance in nanocontacts and domain walls.

Ballistic magnetoresistance.

Movement of domain walls and magnetization inversion.

Spin injection.

Spin transistor using semiconductors.

Optical manipulation, transport and storage of spin in semiconductors.

Rotate electronics in quantum dots. GMR and TMR. Magnetic memories.

Stoner-Wohlfarth model. Hard, soft and semi-hard magnetic materials.

Magnetic properties of superconducting materials.

Spincaloritronics, Inverse Hall Effect, Topological insulators, two-dimensional electron gas and quantum hall effect.

Mandatory literature

S. Maekawa and T. Shinjo; Spin Dependent Transport in Magnetic Nanostructures, Taylor and Francis, ISBN 0415272262, 2002
S. Maekawa; Concepts in Spin Electronics, Oxford University Press,, 2006. ISBN: 0198568215
D.D. Awschalom ; Spin Electronics, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003. ISBN: 1402018029
M. Ziese and M. J. Thornton ; Spin Electronics, Springer-Verlag, 2001

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theoretical-practical classes (TP): Presentation of program content using conventional and multimedia methods; specialized topics will be presented in lectures given by invited researcher or professors.Visite to the existing equipment in departments namely in centers specialized in spintronics and devices. Finally, the basic principle of the classes will be based on a discussion between students and teachers.

Type: Continuous assessment.

Conditions Frequency: 1/4 TP.

 

Evaluation formula:

1. i) Continuing with regular resolution (every 2 weeks) of an exercise (classes) [25%].
2. ii) Oral presentation of a work at the end of the half [25%].

iii) Final exam realization. [50%]

keywords

Physical sciences > Physics > Electronics > Nanoelectronics
Physical sciences > Physics > Solid state physics
Physical sciences > Physics > Electronics > Microelectronics
Technological sciences > Engineering > Electronic engineering

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	25,00
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	25,00
Exame	50,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	120,00
Frequência das aulas	42,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

A mark of more than 8 in the Presentation/discussion of a scientific paper and Face-to-face participation components

Calculation formula of final grade

Evaluation formula:

1. i) Continuing with regular resolution (every 2 weeks) of an exercise (classes) [25%].
2. ii) Oral presentation of a work at the end of the half [25%].

iii) Final exam realization. [50%]

Classification improvement

Only the Exam component can be improved, keeping the classifications of the remaining components.

Observations

Jury:João Filipe Horta Belo da Silva and João Pedro Esteves de Araújo