US Patent 7196386 - Spin polarized memory using fullerene

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7196386.html

Memory devices that use electron spin rather than electron charge to store data have been experimented with using mostly paramagnetic and semiconductor materials. This patent from Sony explains that the use of fullerene films in forming spin conduction layers allows for a longer coherence length for the spin to allow for practical operation. Claim 1 reads:

1. A memory element wherein recording information is written by injecting spin-polarized electrons, the memory element comprising: a spin conduction layer made of a spherical shell or cylindrical molecule material having a hollow portion, and wherein the spin-polarized electrons are conducted by the spin conduction layer.