Three-dimensional spintronics: geometry-enabled spin transport and racetrack memory

Shengbao Liu; Li Chen; Yongfeng Mei; Jizhai Cui

doi:10.1088/1674-4926/26020010

J. Semicond. > Just Accepted

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

Three-dimensional spintronics: geometry-enabled spin transport and racetrack memory

Shengbao Liu^{1, 2}, Li Chen^{1, 2}, Yongfeng Mei^{1, 2} and Jizhai Cui^{1, 2,}

+ Author Affiliations

Corresponding author: Jizhai Cui, jzcui@fudan.edu.cn

DOI: 10.1088/1674-4926/26020010CSTR: 32376.14.1674-4926.26020010

References

[1]	Žutić I, Fabian J, Das Sarma S. Spintronics: Fundamentals and applications. Rev Mod Phys, 2004, 76(2): 323 doi: 10.1103/RevModPhys.76.323
[2]	Shao D F, Tsymbal E Y. Antiferromagnetic tunnel junctions for spintronics. npj Spintron, 2024, 2: 13 doi: 10.1038/s44306-024-00014-7
[3]	Dieny B. Giant magnetoresistance in spin-valve multilayers. J Magn Magn Mater, 1994, 136(3): 335 doi: 10.1016/0304-8853(94)00356-4
[4]	Liu Y T, Shao Q M. Two-dimensional materials for energy-efficient spin–orbit torque devices. ACS Nano, 2020, 14(8): 9389 doi: 10.1021/acsnano.0c04403
[5]	Huai Y. Spin-transfer torque MRAM (STT-MRAM): Challenges and prospects. AAPPS Bulletin, 2008, 18: 33
[6]	Gubbiotti G, Barman A, Ladak S, et al. 2025 roadmap on 3D nanomagnetism. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 2025, 37: 143502 doi: 10.1088/1361-648X/ad9655
[7]	Fernández-Pacheco A, Streubel R, Fruchart O, et al. Three-dimensional nanomagnetism. Nat Commun, 2017, 8: 15756 doi: 10.1038/ncomms15756
[8]	Parkin S, Yang S H. Memory on the racetrack. Nature Nanotech, 2015, 10(3): 195 doi: 10.1038/nnano.2015.41
[9]	Gaididei Y, Kravchuk V P, Sheka D D. Curvature effects in thin magnetic shells. Phys Rev Lett, 2014, 112(25): 257203 doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.257203
[10]	Fernández-Pacheco A, Serrano-Ramón L, Michalik J M, et al. Three dimensional magnetic nanowires grown by focused electron-beam induced deposition. Sci Rep, 2013, 3: 1492 doi: 10.1038/srep01492
[11]	Skoric L, Donnelly C, Hierro-Rodriguez A, et al. Domain wall automotion in three-dimensional magnetic helical interconnectors. ACS Nano, 2022, 16(6): 8860 doi: 10.1021/acsnano.1c10345
[12]	Parkin S S P, Hayashi M, Thomas L. Magnetic domain-wall racetrack memory. Science, 2008, 320(5873): 190 doi: 10.1126/science.1145799
[13]	Lavrijsen R, Lee J H, Fernández-Pacheco A, et al. Magnetic ratchet for three-dimensional spintronic memory and logic. Nature, 2013, 493(7434): 647 doi: 10.1038/nature11733
[14]	Gu K, Guan Y C, Hazra B K, et al. Three-dimensional racetrack memory devices designed from freestanding magnetic heterostructures. Nat Nanotechnol, 2022, 17(10): 1065 doi: 10.1038/s41565-022-01213-1
[15]	Kruglyak V V, Demokritov S O, Grundler D. Magnonics. J Phys D: Appl Phys, 2010, 43(26): 264001 doi: 10.1088/0022-3727/43/26/264001
[16]	Fert A, Reyren N, Cros V. Magnetic skyrmions: Advances in physics and potential applications. Nat Rev Mater, 2017, 2: 17031 doi: 10.1038/natrevmats.2017.31
[17]	Birch M T, Fujishiro Y, Belopolski I, et al. Nanosculpted 3D helices of a magnetic Weyl semimetal with switchable non-reciprocal electron transport. Nat Nanotechnol, 2026: 1
[18]	Fernández-Pacheco A, Steinke N J, Mahendru D, et al. Magnetic state of multilayered synthetic antiferromagnets during soliton nucleation and propagation for vertical data transfer. Adv Mater Interfaces, 2016, 3(15): 1600097 doi: 10.1002/admi.201600097
[19]	Fedorov P, Soldatov I, Neu V, et al. Self-assembly of Co/Pt stripes with current-induced domain wall motion towards 3D racetrack devices. Nat Commun, 2024, 15: 2048 doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-46185-z
[20]	Farinha A M A, Yang S H, Yoon J, et al. Interplay of geometrical and spin chiralities in 3D twisted magnetic ribbons. Nature, 2025, 639(8053): 67 doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08582-8

Fig. 1. (Color online) Development of three-dimensional spintronics from two major research directions. The upper panel highlights the evolution of geometry-enabled spin transport, including curvature-induced magnetic effects, three-dimensional magnetic nanowires, and spin transport in curvilinear geometries^[9−11]. The lower panel summarizes key milestones in racetrack memory, from the original concept to three-dimensional racetrack memory devices^[12−14]. Reproduced with permission. Copyright © 2008, 2013, 2022, Springer Nature. Copyright © 2014, American Physical Society. Copyright © 2022, ACS Publishing.

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Fig. 2. (Color online) (a) Different views of a double-loop nano-spiral fabricated by FEBID^[10]. (b) Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of a fabricated 3D magnetic interconnector (left), Simulation snapshots for a model matching the fabricated structure (middle), Shadow X-ray photoemission electron microscopy (XPEEM) snapshots of the magnetization states at 7 and 0 mT (right)^[11]. (c) Scanning electron micrographs of nanosculpted Co₃Sn₂S₂ helix devices with left-handed chirality^[17]. (d) Data operation based on the vertical motion of solitons in multilayered SAFs^[18]. (e) Schematic of freestanding racetracks formed from HM/FM heterostructures transferred onto a pretreated sapphire substrate^[14]. (f) Schematic of rolled-down 3D device after self-assembling into the “Swiss-roll”^[19]. (g) SEM perspective and top view of magnetic ribbons with different twist angles^[20]. Reproduced with permission. Copyright © 2018, 2026, 2022, 2024, 2025, Springer Nature. Copyright © 2022, ASC Publishing. Copyright © 2016, Wiley-VCH

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[1]	Žutić I, Fabian J, Das Sarma S. Spintronics: Fundamentals and applications. Rev Mod Phys, 2004, 76(2): 323 doi: 10.1103/RevModPhys.76.323
[2]	Shao D F, Tsymbal E Y. Antiferromagnetic tunnel junctions for spintronics. npj Spintron, 2024, 2: 13 doi: 10.1038/s44306-024-00014-7
[3]	Dieny B. Giant magnetoresistance in spin-valve multilayers. J Magn Magn Mater, 1994, 136(3): 335 doi: 10.1016/0304-8853(94)00356-4
[4]	Liu Y T, Shao Q M. Two-dimensional materials for energy-efficient spin–orbit torque devices. ACS Nano, 2020, 14(8): 9389 doi: 10.1021/acsnano.0c04403
[5]	Huai Y. Spin-transfer torque MRAM (STT-MRAM): Challenges and prospects. AAPPS Bulletin, 2008, 18: 33
[6]	Gubbiotti G, Barman A, Ladak S, et al. 2025 roadmap on 3D nanomagnetism. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 2025, 37: 143502 doi: 10.1088/1361-648X/ad9655
[7]	Fernández-Pacheco A, Streubel R, Fruchart O, et al. Three-dimensional nanomagnetism. Nat Commun, 2017, 8: 15756 doi: 10.1038/ncomms15756
[8]	Parkin S, Yang S H. Memory on the racetrack. Nature Nanotech, 2015, 10(3): 195 doi: 10.1038/nnano.2015.41
[9]	Gaididei Y, Kravchuk V P, Sheka D D. Curvature effects in thin magnetic shells. Phys Rev Lett, 2014, 112(25): 257203 doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.257203
[10]	Fernández-Pacheco A, Serrano-Ramón L, Michalik J M, et al. Three dimensional magnetic nanowires grown by focused electron-beam induced deposition. Sci Rep, 2013, 3: 1492 doi: 10.1038/srep01492
[11]	Skoric L, Donnelly C, Hierro-Rodriguez A, et al. Domain wall automotion in three-dimensional magnetic helical interconnectors. ACS Nano, 2022, 16(6): 8860 doi: 10.1021/acsnano.1c10345
[12]	Parkin S S P, Hayashi M, Thomas L. Magnetic domain-wall racetrack memory. Science, 2008, 320(5873): 190 doi: 10.1126/science.1145799
[13]	Lavrijsen R, Lee J H, Fernández-Pacheco A, et al. Magnetic ratchet for three-dimensional spintronic memory and logic. Nature, 2013, 493(7434): 647 doi: 10.1038/nature11733
[14]	Gu K, Guan Y C, Hazra B K, et al. Three-dimensional racetrack memory devices designed from freestanding magnetic heterostructures. Nat Nanotechnol, 2022, 17(10): 1065 doi: 10.1038/s41565-022-01213-1
[15]	Kruglyak V V, Demokritov S O, Grundler D. Magnonics. J Phys D: Appl Phys, 2010, 43(26): 264001 doi: 10.1088/0022-3727/43/26/264001
[16]	Fert A, Reyren N, Cros V. Magnetic skyrmions: Advances in physics and potential applications. Nat Rev Mater, 2017, 2: 17031 doi: 10.1038/natrevmats.2017.31
[17]	Birch M T, Fujishiro Y, Belopolski I, et al. Nanosculpted 3D helices of a magnetic Weyl semimetal with switchable non-reciprocal electron transport. Nat Nanotechnol, 2026: 1
[18]	Fernández-Pacheco A, Steinke N J, Mahendru D, et al. Magnetic state of multilayered synthetic antiferromagnets during soliton nucleation and propagation for vertical data transfer. Adv Mater Interfaces, 2016, 3(15): 1600097 doi: 10.1002/admi.201600097
[19]	Fedorov P, Soldatov I, Neu V, et al. Self-assembly of Co/Pt stripes with current-induced domain wall motion towards 3D racetrack devices. Nat Commun, 2024, 15: 2048 doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-46185-z
[20]	Farinha A M A, Yang S H, Yoon J, et al. Interplay of geometrical and spin chiralities in 3D twisted magnetic ribbons. Nature, 2025, 639(8053): 67 doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08582-8

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Received: 05 February 2026 Revised: 16 March 2026 Online: Accepted Manuscript: 07 April 2026

Article Navigation > Journal of Semiconductors > 2026 > Accepted Manuscript

Shengbao Liu, Li Chen, Yongfeng Mei, Jizhai Cui. Three-dimensional spintronics: geometry-enabled spin transport and racetrack memory[J]. Journal of Semiconductors, 2026, In Press. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/26020010 ****S B Liu, L Chen, Y F Mei, and J Z Cui, Three-dimensional spintronics: geometry-enabled spin transport and racetrack memory[J]. J. Semicond., 2026, accepted doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/26020010

Citation:

Shengbao Liu, Li Chen, Yongfeng Mei, Jizhai Cui. Three-dimensional spintronics: geometry-enabled spin transport and racetrack memory[J]. Journal of Semiconductors, 2026, In Press. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/26020010 ****

S B Liu, L Chen, Y F Mei, and J Z Cui, Three-dimensional spintronics: geometry-enabled spin transport and racetrack memory[J]. J. Semicond., 2026, accepted doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/26020010

Citation:

S B Liu, L Chen, Y F Mei, and J Z Cui, Three-dimensional spintronics: geometry-enabled spin transport and racetrack memory[J]. J. Semicond., 2026, accepted doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/26020010

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Three-dimensional spintronics: geometry-enabled spin transport and racetrack memory

DOI: 10.1088/1674-4926/26020010

CSTR: 32376.14.1674-4926.26020010

Shengbao Liu^{1, 2},
Li Chen^{1, 2},
Yongfeng Mei^{1, 2},
Jizhai Cui^{1, 2,}

1.
International Institute for Intelligent Nanorobots and Nanosystems & State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, College of Intelligent Robotics and Advanced Manufacturing, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
2.
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Extreme Environment Functional Materials, Yiwu Research Institute of Fudan University, Yiwu 322000, China

More Information

Shengbao Liu：Liu Shengbao received his bachelor’s degree from the Department of Materials Science at Fudan University in 2025. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Electronic Science and Technology at the International Institute for Intelligent Nanorobots and Nanosystems, Fudan University, under the supervision of tenure-track Associate Professor Jizhai Cui. His research focuses on the design and fabrication of micro- and nano-electronic devices
Jizhai Cui is a tenure-track Associate Professor at the International Institute for Intelligent Nanorobots and Nanosystems, College of Intelligent Robotics and Advanced Manufacturing, Fudan University. He obtained his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2016 and subsequently held postdoctoral appointments in the Department of Materials at ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute. His research interests include intelligent micro- and nanorobots, origami/kirigami-inspired metamaterials, and nanomagnetic devices
Corresponding author: jzcui@fudan.edu.cn
Received Date: 2026-02-05
Revised Date: 2026-03-16

Available Online: 2026-04-07

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