The design of conventional electronic devices of all kinds is dominated by a small set of
materials whose properties are deeply understood and can be controlled with extraordinary
precision. While the resulting electronics have arguably completely revolutionized society, there
are now fundamental limitations in size, capability of integration into consumer-sized devices,
and power efficiency. These limitations can only be overcome with completely new materials
and device concepts, which in themselves require to go beyond charge current as information
carrier.
In this talk, I will introduce the notion of spin as a natural choice for low-power electronics. I
will show how “small molecule” organic semiconductors can be used to tailor spintronic
responses in quantum materials, on timescales of 10 -15 s, length scales of ~10 Å and energy scales
of molecular vibrations or less. Interfaces between such molecules and other materials –
including quantum materials - permit conversion of charge to spin, selective spin injection or
control of the spin degrees of freedom. The origin of these effects stems from the formation of a
hybrid molecular interface, a chemical entity that extends beyond both the molecular material
and its counterpart, enabling new ways of designing materials platforms for ultraefficient
electronics.