Spintronic Materials and Magnetic Storage Systems: Recent Advances, Challenges, and Future Perspectives

Abstract

Spintronics exploits the intrinsic spin of electrons, together with their electrical charge, to develop nonvolatile, high-speed, and energy-efficient information technologies. The discovery of giant magnetoresistance and the subsequent development of magnetic tunnel junctions established the material and device foundations of modern magnetic storage. Contemporary spintronic memory systems use nanoscale ferromagnetic layers, antiferromagnetic materials, heavy metals, tunnel barriers, topological spin textures, and two-dimensional magnetic crystals to write, retain, and read information. Spin-transfer-torque magnetic random-access memory has progressed toward embedded commercial applications because of its nonvolatility, compatibility with complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor processing, high endurance, and relatively fast switching. Spin–orbit-torque memory separates the write and read paths and may provide higher endurance and faster operation, although field-free switching, power consumption, and cell-area requirements remain important challenges. This review examines recent advances in spintronic materials and magnetic storage systems, with emphasis on magnetic tunnel junctions, perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, spin-transfer torque, spin–orbit torque, voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy, domain-wall racetrack devices, magnetic skyrmions, antiferromagnetic memories, two-dimensional magnets, and spintronic neuromorphic hardware. The relationships among material composition, interface quality, thermal stability, switching current, tunnelling magnetoresistance, scalability, and device reliability are discussed. Major barriers include stochastic switching, tunnel-barrier degradation, magnetic variability, fabrication defects, thermal instability, read–write disturbance, and integration with semiconductor manufacturing. Future progress is expected through interface engineering, orbital and spin Hall materials, antiferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic systems, voltage-assisted switching, topological textures, three-dimensional integration, and intelligent device–circuit co-design. Spintronic storage is therefore developing from a specialized memory technology into a broader platform for nonvolatile computing, in-memory processing, artificial intelligence, and energy-efficient electronics.