Altermagnets represent a newly recognized class of materials in magnetism that could enable novel applications in spin-based electronics. Their magnetically ordered state consists of an antiparallel arrangement of microscopic magnetic moments, so-called spins, as in antiferromagnets. In contrast to antiferromagnetism, however, the altermagnetic state with zero net-magnetization enables the generation of electrical currents with spin polarization and spin-polarized magnonic currents, as required in spin-based electronics. Thus, altermagnets combine the advantages of antiferromagnets, i.e., ultrafast dynamics, and ferromagnets, i.e., large spin polarization.

Antiferromagnets have garnered significant attention as active components in spintronics due to their potential to leverage intrinsic THz dynamics for ultrafast switching processes. E.g., the storage of information in future magnetic random-access memory could be based on the orientation of the staggered magnetization of a collinear antiferromagnet. However, the lack of net magnetization of antiferromagnets necessitates the development of novel current-induced fast switching mechanisms.

Magnetism-based sensors gain importance for various applications as autonomous driving, health care or robotics, as magnetic sensors allow to measure essential properties contactless, wear free and tolerant to power losses. We use up-to date thin film technologies with thickness accuracies far better than a single atomic layer and complex methods for determination of sensor characteristics to develop novel, robust and dedicated magnetic sensors for automatization/industry 4.0 and further application fields. Our focus is on giant and tunneling magnetoresistance for electrical readout and the upscaling of research results to industry compatible thin film deposition systems on 200 mm wafer size working with leading global players from the semiconductor industry.

With power consumption for spin transport in conventional devices governed by Ohmic losses due to moving charge carriers, an alternative approach is to exploit magnetic insulators where spin waves transport angular momentum with losses that are many orders of magnitude reduced. This leads to ultra-low dissipation transport and using spin superfluidity, this dissipation can be further reduced to realize low power transport in wave-based logic devices.

A strong focus in our group is to explore the application of magnetic skyrmions, as well as stochastic magnetic tunnel junctions for low-energy information processing. In both systems, existing thermal fluctuations can be amplified and controlled by tiny external stimuli like electrical currents to perform simple logic or recognition tasks. We have demonstrated space and time-multiplexed reservoir computing using magnetic skyrmions. Superparamagnetic tunnel junctions have been shown to function as p-bits, the probabilistic counterparts of quantum bits (q-bits) and random number generators.

Harnessing the electron’s spin, rather than its charge, for device functionality has revolutionized microelectronics and enabled the large-scale storage of data in the cloud. This data is physically stored on hard drives that rely on tunneling magnetoresistance read heads and magnetic nano-scale domains. The next frontier is to exploit the contributions of orbital angular momentum.

Conventionally, one assumes that orbital angular momentum in solids is typically quenched under equilibrium conditions and thus considered negligible. However, while orbital momentum remains quenched at equilibrium, the application of an electric current as a non-equilibrium process leads to the efficient generation of orbital angular momentum that can be orders of magnitude stronger than the conventional spin angular momentum. This can lead to ultra low-power switching and extremely efficient read-out of the angular momentum beyond anything currently possible with spins.

Most notably, these effects can be achieved using abundant, cheap and environmentally-friendly light metals. These recent findings have sparked intense global research activity, as orbitronics promises more efficient and sustainable electronic devices.

Topologically protected spin structures, such as skyrmions, antiskyrmions, and magnetic Hopfions, represent a new frontier in spintronics, offering unique advantages for data storage, logic, and neuromorphic computing. These spin textures are characterized by their topological stability, meaning they are resistant to deformation by defects or thermal fluctuations—an essential property for reliable device operation. Among them, magnetic skyrmions are particularly promising due to their nanoscale size, efficient current-driven motion, and low energy requirements, enabling high-density, ultra-low-power memory and logic applications. Beyond skyrmions, more complex textures like hopfions and merons provide additional degrees of freedom for encoding information, potentially allowing for multi-state logic or more advanced computing architectures. The interplay between topology, material properties, and spin-orbit interactions in these systems enables robust control and manipulation of spin configurations using electrical or optical means. Exploring these topologically non-trivial states opens exciting opportunities for the development of scalable, energy-efficient, and functionally diverse spintronic devices.