Spintronic devices for biomedical applications

Abstract

In the past decade, there has been a significant rise in the development of novel spintronic device architectures specifically designed to meet the demands of diverse biomedical applications. These advancements have notably focused on enhancing various bioassay detection techniques, including magnetocardiography and neural signal recording. Through collaboration within the spintronics community, these devices are rapidly transitioning from laboratory prototypes to practical applications, catering to diverse biomedical applications and benefiting both researchers and medical practitioners alike. In this review, we comprehensively explore the biomedical applications of spintronic devices, due to their inherent sensitivity to external magnetic fields, ease of fabrication into large arrays of nano/micro-sized devices within confined spaces, resilience under harsh environmental conditions, and high repeatability. Established spintronics devices that exploit various magnetoresistive effects have already been extensively deployed as magnetic biosensors for disease diagnosis, medical imaging, and bio-magnetic field detection, offering superior sensitivity and robustness. This review aims to provide peers with an up-to-date overview of spintronic devices in biomedical contexts while also commenting on future research trends and challenges. With advancements in nano/microfabrication techniques enhancing device robustness and magnetic field sensitivity, it is foreseeable that these spintronic devices could catalyze revolutionary transformations in healthcare.