PHYSICS SEMINAR
Wednesday,
October 17, 2001
Willet Science Center 109
“Spintronics
and Hard Disks”
Abstract:
“Electrons have
spin as well as charge, and this may make all the difference in future
electronics”. This statement by
Gary Prinz of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, is at the heart of the new
science of spintronics. Many
see spintronics as providing the next generation of electronic devices. Sound
futuristic? If you own a hard disk
made in the last five years, with a capacity of 1Gb or more, then you probably
have a spintronic device. Giant
magnetoresistive (GMR) heads are now standard equipment in hard drives.
GMR heads are spin sensitive devices also
know as spin valves. The operation of these devices will be discussed and
demonstrated. This talk, is presented with the hope of revealing the
“physics of everyday life”.
Please
join us for light refreshments at 4:15.