Pure spin‐currents

The new development of spintronics aims at utilizing the spin degree of freedom for electronic applications. To this date, in most investigated spintronics systems and devices the spin and charge currents are in parallel and therefore directly coupled. However, using non‐local lateral devices allows to separate spin and charge currents, which allows the investigation of pure spin‐currents. This article reviews the recent developments using non‐local spin‐dependent measurements and other approaches towards utilizing pure spin‐currents. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)