Spin filter

A group at the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics in Halle have presented interesting work on using ferroelectric tunnel junctions as spin filters. Based on a ferromagnetic lanthanum strontium manganate / ferroelectric lead zirconate titanite / ferromagnetic cobalt sandwich structure the group found that the tunnel magnetoresistance acts as both a variable resistance and an electron spin filter. The group see applications for the spin filter in magnetic storage devices including magnetic random access memories.