Noise is defined as the random fluctuations in a physical quantity. In electronic devices, this quantity is the voltage or the current at any port of the device. In general, the random nature of this inherent noise in electron transport comes from the thermal motion and intrinsic properties of the building blocks of solids. Measuring noise can be an incredibly rich source of information about the microscopic properties of spintronic devices that are often not accessible by other techniques. While the characteristic dimensions of electronics keep getting smaller, the signals with which devices operate become noisier. Of late, the spin degree of freedom has become an important ingredient of modern electronics. The “coin” of noise phenomena has two sides: the information one can obtain from noise (“Noise is the signal,” according to Rolf Landauer, one of the founders of modern quantum electron transport theory) and the need to understand and control the noise in nanoscale devices subject to spin-, charge-, and nucleus motion–related stochastic processes not only at room but even at very low temperatures.
This book covers the main physical mechanisms and the different contributions (1/f noise, shot noise, etc.) behind electronic fluctuations in various spintronic devices. It presents the first comprehensive summary of fundamental noise mechanisms in both electronic and spintronic devices and is therefore unique in that aspect. The pedagogic introduction to noise is complemented by a detailed description of how one could set up a noise measurement experiment in the lab. A further extensive description of the recent progress in understanding and controlling noise in spintronics, including the boom in 2D devices, molecular spintronics, and field sensing, is accompanied by both numerous bibliography references and tens of case studies on the fundamental aspects of noise and on some important qualitative steps to understand noise in spintronics. Moreover, a detailed discussion of unsolved problems and outlook make it an essential textbook for scientists and students desiring to exploit the information hidden in noise in both spintronics and conventional electronics.
Key Features:
- First book to present a comprehensive summary of fundamental noise mechanisms in both electronic and spintronic devices
- Contains many examples and case studies to illustrate important points
- Covers a rich variety of electronic fluctuations throughout the chapters
- Focuses on different sub-branches of spintronics, including epitaxial spintronics, molecular spintronics, spintronics with quantum dots, 2D materials, and magnetic field sensors applications
- Provides a detailed discussion of unsolved problems
The book is of particular interest to students in nanotechnology, spintronics, and nanomagnetism; graduate students of physics, electrical and electronics engineering, materials science and engineering; researchers in nanoscience; engineers in nanotechnology and medicine, especially those with an interest in bio-sensing.
