Topological Insulator Cell for Memory and Magnetic Sensor Applications

We propose a memory device based on magnetically doped surfaces of three-dimensional topological insulators. Magnetic information stored on the surface is read out via the quantized Hall effect, which is characterized by a topological invariant. Consequently, the readout process is insensitive to disorder, variations in device geometry, and imperfections in the writing process. (C) 2011 The Japan Society of Applied Physics