NSF Funds Pollard with ERI Award

Will study growth of magnetic material to develop next generation memory, logic, signal processing devices

Dr. Shawn Pollard, assistant professor in the department of physic and material science, was recently awarded an engineering research initiation (ERI) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Pollard’s award for $195,490, entitled “Compositionally modulated ferrimagnets for spin-orbitronic devices,” focuses on understanding of how non-uniform growth of a type of magnetic material, known as ferrimagnet, gives rise to orbit torques and the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction - novel phenomena that are being intensely studied due to their applications in for future magnetic based memory and logic devices. The project proposes to (1) understand and optimize the strength of these effects through controlled growth processes and characterization of magnetization switching and (2) develop an understanding of other factors associated with non-uniform ferrimagnets which complicate measurement of these effects. The project will provide a framework for the design of ferrimagnetic materials for use in low energy, high speed, and high-density magnetic memory, logic, and signal processing devices.

About the NSF ERI program (from the NSF Website)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Engineering (ENG) seeks to build engineering research capacity across the nation by investing in new academic investigators who have yet to receive research funding from Federal Agencies.  The Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) program aims to support new investigators as they initiate their research programs and advance in their careers as researchers, educators, and innovators.

For more information on the NSF ERI program, please contact the Division of Research & Innovation at researchdev@memphis.edu. For more information on this project, contact Pollard at Shawn.Pollard@memphis.edu.