ABSTRACT
In order to make a conventional MOSFET work beyond 100 nm, several structural changes have been proposed. However, most of the researchers are of the opinion that it is difficult to continue with Moore’s law by making only the structural changes to the MOSFET. In fact, an alternative technology is required to achieve the computational complexity and at the same time obtain the low power-delay product. Therefore, the researchers have proposed several alternative technologies. Spintronics is one such technology. It not only promises low power solution but is also supposed to provide the non-volatile design, which makes bio-inspired logic-in memory design possible. In this chapter, first some of the basic effects of spintronics are introduced. This is followed by the introduction of the spin-based devices of magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) and spin field-effect transistor (spin-FET). The different mechanisms involved in the operation of these devices are presented. In addition, a brief overview of the challenges faced for the implementation of these devices is discussed. Finally, the logic applications of these spin devices including non-volatile and reconfigurable logic design have been presented.
