The spin Seebeck effect, the generation of a spin current by a temperature gradient, has attracted great attention, but the interplay over a millimetre range along a thin ferromagnetic film as well as unintended side effects which hinder an unambiguous detection have evoked controversial discussions. Here, we investigate the inverse spin Hall voltage of a 10 nm thin Pt strip deposited on the magnetic insulators Y₃Fe₅O₁₂ and NiFe₂O₄ with a temperature gradient in the film plane. We show characteristics typical of the spin Seebeck effect, although we do not observe the most striking features of the transverse spin Seebeck effect. Instead, we attribute the observed voltages to the longitudinal spin Seebeck effect generated by a contact tip induced parasitic out-of-plane temperature gradient, which depends on material, diameter and temperature of the tip.

Spin caloritronics studies the interplay between charge-, heat- and spin-currents, which are initiated by temperature gradients in magnetic nanostructures. A plethora of new phenomena has been discovered that promises, e.g., to make wasted heat in electronic devices useable or to provide new read-out mechanisms for information. However, only few materials have been studied so far with Seebeck voltages of only some microvolt, which hampers applications. Here, we demonstrate that half-metallic Heusler compounds are hot candidates for enhancing spin-dependent thermoelectric effects. This becomes evident when considering the asymmetry of the spin-split density of electronic states around the Fermi level that determines the spin-dependent thermoelectric transport in magnetic tunnel junctions. We identify Co₂FeAl and Co₂FeSi Heusler compounds as ideal due to their energy gaps in the minority density of states, and demonstrate devices with substantially larger Seebeck voltages and tunnel magneto-Seebeck effect ratios than the commonly used Co-Fe-B-based junctions.

The advantages of planar Hall effect (PHE) sensors—their thermal stability, very low detection limits, and high sensitivities—have supported a wide range of advanced applications such as nano-Tesla (nT) magnetometers, current sensing, or low magnetic moment detection in lab-on-a-chip devices. In this review we outline the background and implications of these PHE sensors, starting from fundamental physics through their technological evolution over the past few decades. Key parameters affecting the performance of these sensors, including noise from different sources, thermal stability, and magnetoresistance magnitudes are discussed. The progression of sensor geometries and junctions from disk, cross-to-bridge, ring, and ellipse configuration is also reviewed. The logical sequence of these structures from single magnetoresistive layers to bi-, tri-layers, and spin-valves is also covered. Research contributions to the development of these sensors are highlighted with a focus on microfluidics and flexible sensorics. This review serves as a comprehensive resource for scientists who wish to use PHE for fundamental research or to develop new applications and devices. The conclusions from this report will benefit the development, production, and performance evaluation of PHE-based devices and microfluidics, as well as set the stage for future advances.

MgO-based magnetic tunnel junctions with up to 230% tunnel magnetoresistance ratio at room temperature and up to 345% at 13 K are prepared. The lower electrode is either exchange-biased or free, while the top electrode is free or an exchanged-biased artificial ferrimagnet, respectively. Additionally, a pseudo-spin-valve (hard-soft switching) design with two unpinned electrodes is used. Inelastic electron-tunneling spectra for each of these systems show a strong variation in the zero-bias anomaly with a reduced peak for some of the junctions. At voltages around 200 mV additional structures are found, which are not known from junctions with lower magneto resistance, such as alumina-based junctions. We discuss the spectra for the different electrode types and compare our findings with respect to barrier material and magnetoresistance ratio.