Nanoelectronics and spintronics of quantum materials and devices

We explore charge and spin transport phenomena in quantum materials and devices. In addition to charge, electrons possess a magnetic property called ‘spin’ that can be Up or Down. Spin-polarized electrons or spins form the basis for spintronics that enabled ultrahigh-density magnetic memory storage and precision sensing, thereby revolutionizing the information technology age. Over the past decade, the advent of two-dimensional materials brought a fresh stimulus for spintronics. For example, Graphene, the first isolated 2D material is ideal for spin transport over length scales of the order of microns at room temperature. We explore graphene circuits to uncover spin relaxation physics and create new device architectures for demonstrating spin functionalities. Beyond graphene, there are 2D semiconductors such as dichalcogenides (MoS2 and MoSe2) and black phosphorus, 2D insulators (hexagonal boron nitride), layered topological insulators (Bi2Se3), the newly discovered 2D magnetic systems (such as Cr2Ge2Te6), all of which provide new opportunities for investigations. Apart from individual crystals, we assemble 2D materials with contrasting properties to prepare special laminates that show improved properties for spin transport with enhanced mobility. In addition to transport based investigations, we study these systems through complementary experimental techniques and computational methods. Our overall goal is to address burning issues in the community and go beyond state of the art to report new physics and device structures for enhanced performance, and realize novel sensing and energy generation applications.

Open position in nanodevice physics and flexible spintronics.

People:

• M. Venkata Kamalakar(Assistant Professor)
• Giuseppe Muscas (Postdoc)
• Ismael Garcia Serrano (Postdoc)
• Jaganandha Panda (Postdoc)
• Fernand Denoel (Master student)