A new spin on materials analysis
2024年4月17日 - 11:00PM
JCN Newswire
Researchers Koichiro Yaji and Shunsuke Tsuda at the National
Institute for Materials Science in Japan have developed an improved
type of microscope that can visualize key aspects of electron spin
states in materials. The quantum mechanical property of electrons
called spin is more complex than the spin of objects in our
everyday world but is related to it as a measure of an electron's
angular momentum. The spin states of electrons can have a
significant impact on the electronic and magnetic behavior of the
materials they are part of.
The technology developed by Yaji and Tsuda is known as imaging-type
spin-resolved photoemission microscopy (iSPEM). It uses the
interaction of light with the electrons in a material to detect the
relative alignment of the electron spins. It is particularly
focused on electron spin polarization - the extent to which
electron spins are collectively aligned in a specific
direction.
The team's iSPEM machine consists of three interconnected
ultra-high vacuum chambers for preparing and analyzing the sample.
Electrons are emitted from the sample by absorbing light energy,
accelerated through the apparatus, and then analyzed by interaction
with a spin filter crystal. The results are displayed as images
which experts can use to glean the necessary information about the
electron spin states in the sample.
"Compared to conventional machines, our iSPEM machine drastically
improves the data acquisition efficiency by ten-thousand times,
with a more than ten-times improvement in spatial resolution, "
says Yaji. "This offers tremendous opportunities for characterizing
the electronic structure of microscopic materials and devices at
previously inaccessible levels in the sub-micrometer region."
This advance could promote improvements in using electron spin
states in information processing and other electronic devices, as
part of the fast-developing field know as spintronics. In
spintronics applications, the spin state of electrons is utilized
to store and process information, in addition to the traditional
use of electric charge.
"This could lead to more energy-efficient and faster electronic
devices, including quantum computers" says Yaji. Applying the
subtleties of quantum mechanical behavior to computing is at the
forefront of efforts to take computing powers to another level, but
until now most advances have been restricted to arcane
demonstrations rather than practical applications. Mastering the
understanding, control and visualization of electron spin could be
a significant step forward.
"We now plan to use our machine to investigate the possibilities
for developing a new generation of electron spin-based devices,
because it will let us look into the properties of tiny and
structurally complex samples previously hidden from view," Yaji
concludes.
Further information
Name: Koichiro Yaji
National Institute for Materials Science
Email: yaji.koichiro@nims.go.jp
Paper: https://doi.org/10.1080/27660400.2024.2328206
About Science and Technology of Advanced Materials: Methods
(STAM-M)
STAM Methods is an open access sister journal of Science and
Technology of Advanced Materials (STAM), and focuses on emergent
methods and tools for improving and/or accelerating materials
developments, such as methodology, apparatus, instrumentation,
modeling, high-through put data collection, materials/process
informatics, databases, and programming.
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Dr Yasufumi Nakamichi
STAM Publishing Director
Email: NAKAMICHI.Yasufumi@nims.go.jp
Press release distributed by Asia Research News for Science and
Technology of Advanced Materials.
Source: Science and Technology of Advanced Materials
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