American discovery paves the way for extremely fast and compact computer memory

Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin and the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter have made a remarkable discovery that could revolutionize the electronics world, such as magnetic computer memory.

They discovered that the layered multiferroic material nickel iodide (NiI2) exhibits the strongest magnetoelectric coupling ever observed in a known material of this type.

Magnetoelectric coupling is a unique phenomenon where changes in an electric field can affect the magnetic properties of a material, and vice versa.

“Revealing these effects at the scale of atomically thin nickel iodide flakes was a huge challenge, but our success represents a major advance in the field of multiferroics,” said Frank Gao, a postdoctoral researcher in physics at UT and co-lead author of the paper.

This discovery could revolutionize the development of super-fast, energy-efficient devices in several fields, including quantum computing.

Unraveling the mechanism

Multiferroics are unique materials that possess both electric and magnetic orders, which are intertwined through a property called magnetoelectric coupling. This property is highly sought after for technological advancement due to the potential for faster, smaller, and more efficient devices.

The researchers found that NiI2 outperforms all known materials of its kind in terms of magnetoelectric coupling. This was achieved by exciting the material with ultrashort laser pulses and observing the resulting changes in its electric and magnetic orders.

Co-author Emil Viñas Boström from the MPSD explained that the exceptional magnetoelectric coupling in nickel iodide can be attributed to two main factors.

Boström explained that one of the factors contributing to the strong magnetoelectric coupling was the spin-orbit coupling, a relativistic effect observed in the iodine atoms.

“The second factor,” he continued, “is the specific form of magnetic order in nickel iodide, known as a spin spiral or spin helix. This ordering is crucial for both the initiation of the ferroelectric order and for the strength of the magnetoelectric coupling.”

The implications of this discovery are immense. The extraordinary magneto-electric coupling of nickel iodide could revolutionize several technological domains.

A new era in electronics

“Our discovery paves the way for extremely fast and energy-efficient magnetoelectric devices, including magnetic memories,” Xinyue Peng, the project’s other co-lead author, said in the press release.

It could pave the way for super-fast, energy-efficient magnetic memory, allowing data to be stored and retrieved much faster than current technologies, while using significantly less power.

In addition, it could enable lightning-fast and extremely reliable communication between qubits, the fundamental building blocks of quantum computers.

In addition, this discovery could lead to the development of highly sensitive chemical sensors, which can ensure strict quality controls and drug safety in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

Grounds for further research

This groundbreaking study represents a major step forward in the field of multiferroics, a class of materials with both electrical and magnetic properties.

For decades, scientists have been fascinated by multiferroics, recognizing their potential for a wide range of applications. The concept of manipulating magnetic properties with electric fields, and vice versa, has long been a focus of intense research.

This latest breakthrough could lead to the full potential of these extraordinary materials being unlocked.

The researchers are optimistic that their findings will not only lead to the discovery of other materials with similar properties, but also to the development of innovative engineering techniques to further improve the magneto-electric coupling in nickel iodide.

This could lead to a new era of electronics, focused on unprecedented speed, efficiency and miniaturization.