Marie Curie Actions: Inspiring Researchers - Imdea

trying to exploit this interconnection. ‘In metallic systems,these effects take place at room temperature and above,making them very attractive to industry for device applicationssuch as memory cells in MRAM [Magnetoresistive RandomAccess Memory], advanced magnetic sensors for automotiveapplications, fast logic, high-density recording, and highfrequencydevices for telecommunications,’ ProfessorHillebrands specifi es. In the case of MRAM computermemory, for instance, this new approach does not only havethe potential to improve effi ciency, but also to lower powerconsumption and reduce cost.An industrial spinThese features obviously attract even more interest fromindustry. So, it comes as no surprise that the Spinswitchnetwork also involves industrial partners which give theresearch a more application-oriented spin. ‘We havestrong links to big industrial players Siemens andThales, industrial research laboratories and to INESC-MN[Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores,para os Microsistemas e as Nanotechnologias] and IMEC[Interuniversitaire Micro-Electronica Centrum],’ says ProfessorHillebrands. ‘These major research centres promote our workon devices and also provide us with industrial guidance.Several partners have unique analytical techniques andcapabilities of fundamental importance to the measurementsof the structures being developed.’The great interest in the subject is also refl ected in the number ofscientifi c papers, talks at conferences and poster presentationsthat have already come out of Spinswitch, even though it isfar from completed. ‘Although the early-stage researchersare mostly only in their second year, Spinswitch has alreadyimplemented 22 joint dissemination actions (papers andconferences) and a further 49 actions by individual partners,’Professor Hillebrands emphasises. ‘This shows the highquality of the research being performed and the relevanceof the topic of spin current-induced ultrafast switching.’ Andnews of this high-quality research is spreading – a workshoporganised as part of knowledge transfer and disseminationactivities by Spinswitch in Krakow, Poland, attracted morethan 120 scientists from 17 countries.334