https://www.spintec.fr/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Plaquette_Spintec_2026.pdf
Context
The conversion of a conventional charge current into a spin current, carrying not charges but angular momentum, can be done in quantum materials using the spin-orbit coupling. We recently demonstrated in two articles (Nature & Nature Electronics [1,2]) that combined with high spin-orbit coupling elements, ferroelectrics have a natural potential to generate an electrically-switchable, highly efficient spin-charge interconversion, that can be used to develop new ferroelectric devices (cf. fig. 1), similar to the magneto- electric spin-orbit logic devices recently proposed by Intel [3]. At the cross-road between spintronics, ferroelectricity and quantum materials physics, these devices generate, manipulate and convert spin currents using electric fields, in a non-volatile way, thus without resorting to the energy-costly magnetization switching. This makes ferroelectrics good candidates for ultralow-power neuromorphic Artificial
Intelligence architectures, and for post-CMOS logic devices.
[1] Noël, Attané, Vila et al., Nature 580.7804 (2020): 483-486.
[2] Varotto, Attané, Vila et al., Nature Electronics 4, 740–747 (2021)
[3] Manipatruni et al., Nature 565.7737 (2019): 35.
Work program & Skills acquired during internship
This experimental Internship (and possible PhD) project aims at exploring the possibilities offered by these features, in particular for the development of FESO devices and this, with various candidate material families and combinations. The material characterization and gate dependence of the conversion will be done in order to optimize the interconversion signal and the power consumption. The intern will be fully involved from the device nanofabrication (lithography and deposition tools) until the electrical measurement of spin-charge interconversion in our magneto-transport setups going from room temperature down to cryogenic temperatures (few kelvin). They will also participate to the writing of papers and filing of patents. The intern will also interact regularly with other members of the team working on the design of electrical circuits and AI systems based on such devices. The project will benefit from the existence of a large collective momentum in our teams towards the development and integration of these devices, with ongoing ANR and EU projects, and more importantly with a valorization project with the start-up Nellow, based on this technology. As such, the intern will thus work in a highly collaborative environment within the team and with external partners.
- Requested background: Master 2
- Duration: 4-6 months
- Start period: Feb/ March 2026
- Possibility of PhD thesis : YES