Spin valve
Encyclopedia
A spin valve is a device consisting of two or more conducting magnetic materials, that alternates its electrical resistance
(from low to high or high to low) depending on the alignment of the magnetic layers, in order to exploit the Giant Magnetoresistive effect
. The magnetic layers of the device align "up" or "down" depending on an external magnetic field
. Layers are made of two materials with different magnetic coercivity, which can be seen in the layers' hysteresis
curves. Due to the different coercivities one layer ("soft" layer) changes polarity at small magnetic fields while the other ("hard" layer) changes polarity at a higher magnetic field. As the magnetic field across the sample is swept two distinct states can exist, one with the magnetisations of the layers parallel, and one with the magnetisations of the layers antiparallel. In the figures below, the top layer is soft and the bottom layer is hard.
. When a magnetic layer is polarized, the unpaired carrier electrons align their spins to the external magnetic field. When a potential exists across a spin valve, the spin-polarized electrons keep their spin alignment as they move through the device. If these electrons encounter a material with a magnetic field pointing in the opposite direction, they have to flip spins to find an empty energy state in the new material. This flip requires extra energy which causes the device to have a higher resistance than when the magnetic materials are polarized in the same direction.
s and hard disk
read heads. They are also used in magnetic random access memories (MRAM
).
Electrical resistance
The electrical resistance of an electrical element is the opposition to the passage of an electric current through that element; the inverse quantity is electrical conductance, the ease at which an electric current passes. Electrical resistance shares some conceptual parallels with the mechanical...
(from low to high or high to low) depending on the alignment of the magnetic layers, in order to exploit the Giant Magnetoresistive effect
Giant magnetoresistive effect
Giant magnetoresistance is a quantum mechanical magnetoresistance effect observed in thin-film structures composed of alternating ferromagnetic and non-magnetic layers...
. The magnetic layers of the device align "up" or "down" depending on an external magnetic field
Magnetic field
A magnetic field is a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude ; as such it is a vector field.Technically, a magnetic field is a pseudo vector;...
. Layers are made of two materials with different magnetic coercivity, which can be seen in the layers' hysteresis
Hysteresis
Hysteresis is the dependence of a system not just on its current environment but also on its past. This dependence arises because the system can be in more than one internal state. To predict its future evolution, either its internal state or its history must be known. If a given input alternately...
curves. Due to the different coercivities one layer ("soft" layer) changes polarity at small magnetic fields while the other ("hard" layer) changes polarity at a higher magnetic field. As the magnetic field across the sample is swept two distinct states can exist, one with the magnetisations of the layers parallel, and one with the magnetisations of the layers antiparallel. In the figures below, the top layer is soft and the bottom layer is hard.
How it works
Spin valves work because of a quantum property of electrons (and other particles) called spinSpin (physics)
In quantum mechanics and particle physics, spin is a fundamental characteristic property of elementary particles, composite particles , and atomic nuclei.It is worth noting that the intrinsic property of subatomic particles called spin and discussed in this article, is related in some small ways,...
. When a magnetic layer is polarized, the unpaired carrier electrons align their spins to the external magnetic field. When a potential exists across a spin valve, the spin-polarized electrons keep their spin alignment as they move through the device. If these electrons encounter a material with a magnetic field pointing in the opposite direction, they have to flip spins to find an empty energy state in the new material. This flip requires extra energy which causes the device to have a higher resistance than when the magnetic materials are polarized in the same direction.
Applications
Spin valves are used in magnetic sensorSensor
A sensor is a device that measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal which can be read by an observer or by an instrument. For example, a mercury-in-glass thermometer converts the measured temperature into expansion and contraction of a liquid which can be read on a calibrated...
s and hard disk
Hard disk
A hard disk drive is a non-volatile, random access digital magnetic data storage device. It features rotating rigid platters on a motor-driven spindle within a protective enclosure. Data is magnetically read from and written to the platter by read/write heads that float on a film of air above the...
read heads. They are also used in magnetic random access memories (MRAM
MRAM
Magnetoresistive Random-Access Memory is a non-volatile computer memory technology that has been under development since the 1990s. Continued increases in density of existing memory technologies – notably flash RAM and DRAM – kept it in a niche role in the market, but its proponents...
).