Possible Breakthrough for Next-generation Computers


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Using powerful lasers, Hui Zhao, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Kansas, and graduate student Lalani Werake have discovered a new way to recognize currents of spinning electrons within a semiconductor. Their findings could lead the way to development of superior computers and electronics.

One major hurdle for spintronics researchers has been the difficulty in detecting the flow of spinning electrons in real time, the discovery by Zhao and Werake changes that.
“Spintronics is still in the research phase, and we hope that this new technology can be used in labs to look at problems that interest researchers,” said Zhao. “As spintronics become industrialized, we expect this could become a routine technique to check the quality of devices, for example.”
A five-year CAREER award from the National Science Foundation funded the work by Zhao and Werake.