Breakthrough in magnetic quantum materials paves way for sustainable, ultra-fast computers

The discovery of new quantum materials with magnetic properties could pave the way for ultra-fast and more energy-efficient computers and mobile devices. So far, these types of materials have only been shown to work at very cold temperatures. Now, a research team at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden is the first to create a device made of a two-dimensional ferromagnetic quantum material that operates at room temperature.

The rapid expansion of information technology nowadays results in huge amounts of digital data that need to be stored, processed and transmitted. This comes with the growing need for energy – it is expected to account for more than 30% of the world’s total energy consumption by 2050. To combat this problem, the research community has introduced a new paradigm in materials science. The research and development of two-dimensional quantum materials, which consist in sheets and are only a few atoms thick, have opened new doors for sustainable, faster, and more energy-efficient data storage and processing in computers and mobile phones.

The first atomically thin material to be isolated in a laboratory was graphene, a single plane of graphite one atom thick, which resulted in the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. And in 2017, two-dimensional materials with magnetic properties were discovered for the first time. Magnets play an essential role in our daily lives, from sensors in our cars and home appliances to computer data storage and memory technologies, opening discovery to new and more sustainable solutions for a wide range of technological devices.

“Two-dimensional magnetic materials are more sustainable because they are atomically thin and offer unique magnetic properties that make them attractive for developing new energy-efficient and ultra-fast applications for advanced magnetic sensors and memory and computing concepts. This makes them promising candidates for a range of different technologies,” says Saroj Dash, Professor of Device Physics. Quantitative at Chalmers University of Technology.

First to demonstrate 2D magnet-based devices at room temperature

Until now, researchers have only been able to demonstrate two-dimensional magnets at extremely low temperatures in laboratory environments, called cryogenic temperatures, discouraging their wider use in society. But now a group of researchers at Chalmers University of Technology has been able to demonstrate, for the first time, a new two-dimensional magnetic device based on a ferromagnetic material at room temperature. They used an iron ingot (Fe5GeTe2) with graphene that can be used as a source and detector of spin-polarized electrons. It is now believed that this breakthrough enables a range of technology applications in many industries as well as in our daily lives.

“These two-dimensional magnets can be used to develop ultra-compact, faster, and more energy-efficient memory devices in computers. They can also be used to develop highly sensitive magnetic sensors for a wide range of applications, including medical and environmental monitoring, navigation, and communication,” Peng Zhao explains. , a postdoctoral doctor in the physics of quantum devices and first author of the study published in Advanced materials.

Traditional electronic logic devices are based on non-magnetic semiconductors and use electric charge flow to realize information processing and communication. Spintronic devices, on the other hand, exploit the spin of electrons to generate and control charge currents, and to convert electrical and magnetic signals. By combining processing, storage, sensing, and logic into a single, integrated platform, downstream electronics can complement and, in some cases, outperform semiconductor-based electronics, providing advantages in terms of measurement, power consumption, and data processing speed.