Paul Scherrer Institut

Frithjof Nolting

Thomas A Jung

Laura Heyderman

Hans-Benjamin Braun

Elena Mengotti

Thomas Schrefl

André Bisig

Arantxa Fraile Rodríguez

A method and a system for coding and reading out information in a microscopic cluster formed with coupled functional islands includes: generating the cluster by forming a regular microscopic pattern for locating the functional islands; making use of a physical or chemical property of each individual island and making use of the coupling between the functional islands; assigning different information to different energy levels of the cluster; effecting a change of the physical or chemical property of at least one functional island in order to change the energy level of the cluster to the energy level equivalent to the information content to be coded; and reading out the information. These measures allow forming a cluster having distinct energy levels, each being assigned to a distinct information content. These systems pave the way for future devices based on clusters of coupled islands and, armed with the complete knowledge of the energy states, the door is opened for use of these finite multistate clustered structures in future spintronic devices, for example for data storage, memory applications or to perform logic operations.

Method and system for coding and read out of information in a microscopic cluster comprising coupled functional islands

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Zurich, Switzerland

Frithjof Nolting