  Recently, in addition to the well-known resistor, capacitor and inductor, a
fourth passive circuit element, named memristor, has been identified following
theoretical predictions. The model example used in such case consisted in a
nanoscale system with coupled ionic and electronic transport. Here, we discuss
a system whose memristive behaviour is based entirely on the electron spin
degree of freedom which allows for a more convenient control than the ionic
transport in nanostructures. An analysis of time-dependent spin transport at a
semiconductor/ferromagnet junction provides a direct evidence of memristive
behaviour. Our scheme is fundamentally different from previously discussed
schemes of memristive devices and broadens the possible range of applications
of semiconductor spintronics.
