Solid state redox devices help store lots of data in a small physical space and they work by controlling the magnetic properties of materials. By adjusting the chemical composition of ferromagnetic thin films, the researchers succeeded in tuning reversible magnetic properties, which could be applied to next-generation high density data storage enabling low power consumption.
The device contains a thin film made from magnetite next to a layer of lithium silicate. Magnetite holds particular interest for spintronics, because it is predicted to be a half metal, meaning that it only conducts electrons of one particular spin state. When the researchers apply voltages across certain parts of their device, they can insert or remove lithium ions into the magnetite, thereby changing the electrical conductivity, magnetisation, and magnetoresistance of the thin film.
