Spintronics has been in the lexicon of post-CMOS alternatives for so long, it can be easy to forget that there are still significant hurdles to clear in order for it to become the basis for new types of transistors.

In contrast to traditional transistors that operate by stopping and starting the flow of electrons to create binary logic, spintronics exploits the quantum property of spin in electrons. This property of electron spin serves as the basis for magnetism: If the spin of electrons points in one direction, then a material is magnetized.

To exploit this phenomenon in digital logic transistors, most designs have relied on electrons to accumulate at the interface between a metallic magnet and an insulator. Unfortunately, when a voltage is applied to flip the spin in such a design, there’s very little effect.

Now, researchers at MIT have developed a remedy for this problem in a new approach that uses hydrogen ions for spintronics, as opposed to electron accumulation. The result is that the magnetism of the spintronic device can flip by 100 percent, as opposed to a mere 1 percent with the old design. This development marks a significant step toward using spintronics for digital logic applications.