Spintronics Research Center

Center Director: Kohei Itoh (Professor, Faculty of Science and Technology)

Primary Campus: Yagami Campus

Spintronics is a new academic field that aims to create innovation in the electronics, information, and communication industries—including electronics, magnetics, and photonics—by utilizing new physical phenomena obtained by controlling both the electrical and magnetic properties of materials. It is an extremely rare field of scientific and technological innovation where basic scientific innovation and industrial innovation develop in tandem. It is imperative that Keio University actively leads the development of this field, while being mindful of both competition and cooperation on a global scale.

From this standpoint, our goal is to open our doors to researchers from across Japan, establish a collaborative research network that integrates resources such as the advanced academic achievements and joint research facilities of national, public, and private universities, and expand this network globally to build a framework that secures Japan's advantages and priorities.

Spintronics, Physics, Chemistry, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering

■ Continuing Activities from the Previous Fiscal Year: Background, Rationale, and Goals

We will expand our network with partner universities and research institutions in Japan and overseas and continue to hold joint workshops with Keio University. We will also maintain our on-demand video streaming webpage

(http://www.appi.keio.ac.jp/Itoh_group/spintronics/), offering the following content in both Japanese and English: 1) a collection of state-of-the-art video presentations to deliver the latest research findings to experts in a timely manner; 2) a video series in which leading researchers explain the purpose and substance of their work in simple terms for a general audience; and 3) a series of introductory lecture videos for newcomers to the field. We will also continue our public relations activities through participation in the Keio Tech Mall.

Furthermore, we will continue our active and pioneering research as a center, publish papers in journals such as *Nature*, and enhance our role as a global "center" of research.

■ New Goals and Activities for FY2018, and their Background

As a pillar of the "Quantum Community" creative cluster project under the Top Global University Project, we will further develop this center's activities in advanced research, educational programs, and public relations. By actively applying for and securing competitive research funding and pioneering new joint research with institutions in Japan and abroad, we will vigorously promote spintronics research and enhance Keio University's international presence in the field. As a spintronics academic research infrastructure and collaborative network hub selected for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) "Roadmap for the Promotion of Large-Scale Academic Research Projects," we will expand the scope of quantum spintronics research, an area of strength for Keio University, and establish our presence as a hub that attracts researchers from around the world.

■ Activities Implemented, Research Outcomes, and Achievements against the Fiscal Year Action Plan

Since being selected in FY2013 for the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Core-to-Core Program (Advanced Research Networks), we have operated as an international advanced research hub for spintronics for five years through FY2017, with an annual budget of approximately 16 million yen. Through this program, we have advanced joint research with partners including the Technical University of Munich, University College London, the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, Princeton University, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and the University of New South Wales, leading to the co-publication of numerous papers. Additionally, our proposal for the "Development of Spintronics Academic Research Infrastructure and a Collaborative Network Hub," jointly submitted with the University of Tokyo, Tohoku University, and Osaka University, was selected as a new project under the MEXT "Roadmap for the Promotion of Large-Scale Academic Research Projects." This Keio Advanced Research Center has been designated as the "Quantum Spintronics Hub" and was awarded a budget of 22 million yen in FY2017 for its development. To further enhance its functions as the "Quantum Spintronics Hub" within the research space on the Yagami Campus, we used this budget to hire a project associate professor and a technical staff member, continuing these positions from the previous year. We also co-hosted international conferences in Fukuoka in June and in Matsue in August.

Center members published more than 25 papers in top-tier international journals, including *Nature Nanotechnology*, *Physical Review Letters*, *Physical Review B*, and *Applied Physics*. The number of conference presentations totaled over 50 at domestic conferences and over 40 at international ones.

The center co-hosted two international conferences. The first was the 9th International School and Conference on Spintronics and Quantum Information Technology (SpinTECH9), held from June 4–8, 2017, in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka, which brought together approximately 230 participants for discussions on spintronics and quantum information. The second was the 29th International Conference on Defects in Semiconductors (ICDS-29), held from July 31 to August 4, 2017, in Matsue City, Shimane, where around 300 researchers gathered to discuss a wide range of topics in semiconductors. We believe these conferences significantly enhanced the reputation of the Keio University Spintronics Research Center.

Our external achievements include being selected as an Advanced Research Hub for the JSPS Core-to-Core Program, being listed as a Quantum Spintronics Hub in the MEXT "Roadmap for the Promotion of Large-Scale Academic Research Projects," and securing 22 million yen in national funding as the Quantum Spintronics Hub for FY2017, continuing from FY2016. Additionally, the center's activities have been developed as one of the four main pillars of the "Quantum Community" creative cluster project under the Top Global University Project.

In terms of research, our achievements include world-leading research and development in silicon quantum computers, diamond quantum sensors, and spin current/magnon studies.