Abstract

Spintronics is a branch of science and technology, where digital information is represented by the electron-spin. Following the discovery of the giant magneto resistance effect, a decade ago, in magnetic multilayers, this field has now witnessed a significant revolution, encompassing new materials (organic materials, graphene, graphite, multiferroics, manganites) and new physical phenomena. Further, with the rapid downsizing of spintronic devices, it has become essential to probe and understand spin transport at the nanoscale.

In this talk, I will discuss the technique of Ballistic Electron Magnetic Microscopy that we use to probe spin transport perpendicular to buried layers and interfaces with high spatial resolution. I will discuss our recent results on spin transport in graphite spin valves and in oxide heterostructures.