Current-induced magnetic switching of a single magnetic molecule attached to two ferromagnetic contacts is considered theoretically, with the main emphasis put on the role of intrinsic spin relaxation processes. It is shown that spin-polarized current can switch magnetic moment of the molecule, despite of the intrinsic spin relaxation in the molecule. The latter processes increase the threshold voltage (current) above which the switching takes place.
Applications of magnetic memory devices greatly benefit from ultra-fast, low-power switching. Here we propose how this can be achieved efficiently in a nano-sized synthetic antiferromagnet by using perpendicular-to-the-plane picosecond-range magnetic field pulses. Our detailed micromagnetic simulations, supported by analytical results, yield the parameter space where inertial switching and relaxation-free switching can be achieved in the system. We furthermore discuss the advantages of dynamic switching in synthetic antiferromagnets and, specifically, their relatively low-power switching as co…
A study of dynamic and reversible voltage controlled magnetization switching in ferromagnetic Co/Pt thin film with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy at room temperature is presented. The change in the magnetic properties of the system is observed in a relatively thick film of 15 nm. A surface charge is induced by the formation of electrochemical double layer between the metallic thin film and non-aqueous lithium LiClO4 electrolyte to manipulate the magnetism. The change in the magnetic properties occurred by the application of an external electric field. As the negative voltage was increased, …
Detailed understanding of spin dynamics in magnetic nanomaterials is necessary for developing ultrafast, low-energy and high-density spintronic logic and memory. Here, we develop micromagnetic models and analytical solutions to elucidate the effect of increasing damping and uniaxial anisotropy on magnetic field pulse-assisted switching time, energy and field requirements of nanowires with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and yttrium iron garnet-like spin transport properties. A nanowire is initially magnetized using an external magnetic field pulse (write) and self-relaxation. Next, magnetic …
We analyze the complex impact of the local magnetic spin texture on the transverse Hall-type voltage in device structures utilized to measure magnetoresistance effects. We find a highly localized and asymmetric magnetic sensitivity in the eight-terminal geometries that are frequently used in current-induced switching experiments, for instance to probe antiferromagnetic materials. Using current-induced switching of antiferromagnetic NiO/Pt as an example, we estimate the change in the spin Hall magnetoresistance signal associated with switching events based on the domain switching patterns obser…
We study the effect of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) on current-induced magnetic switching of a perpendicularly magnetized heavy-metal/ferromagnet/oxide trilayer both experimentally and through micromagnetic simulations. We report the generation of stable helical magnetization stripes for a sufficiently large DMI strength in the switching region, giving rise to intermediate states in the magnetization confirming the essential role of the DMI on switching processes. We compare the simulation and experimental results to a macrospin model, showing the need for a micromagnetic approa…
A low power magnetization switching scheme based on the voltage control of magnetic anisotropy (VCMA) is proposed. In contrast to the conventional switching scheme using VCMA, where the magnetic anisotropy is eliminated during the voltage pulse, the magnetic anisotropy is enhanced to induce precession around the axis close to the easy axis. After turning off the voltage proximately at a half of precession period, the magnetization relaxes to the opposite equilibrium direction. We perform numerical simulations and show that the pulse duration of the proposed switching scheme is as short as a fe…
We investigate current-induced magnetization switching for a multilayer structure that allows a reduced switching current while maintaining high thermal stability of the magnetization. The structure consists of a perpendicular polarizer, a perpendicular free-layer, and an additional free-layer having in-plane magnetization. When the current runs perpendicular to the structure, the in-plane free-layer undergoes a precession and supplies an internal rf field to the perpendicular free-layer, resulting in a reduced switching current for one current polarity. For the other polarity, the in-plane fr…
In ferromagnetic trilayers, a spin-orbit-induced spin current can have a spin polarization of which direction is deviated from that for the spin Hall effect. Recently, magnetization switching in ferromagnetic trilayers has been proposed and confirmed by the experiments. In this work, we theoretically and numerically investigate the switching current required for perpendicular magnetization switching in ferromagnetic trilayers. We confirm that the tilted spin polarization enables field-free deterministic switching at a lower current than conventional spin-orbit torque or spin-transfer torque sw…
We report on the switching of the magnetic vortex core in a Pac-man disk using a magnetic field pulse, investigated via micromagnetic simulations. The minimum core switching field is reduced by 72 % compared to that of a circular disk with the same diameter and thickness. However, the core switches irregularly with respect to both the field pulse amplitude and duration. This irregularity is induced by magnetization oscillations which arise due to excitation of the spin waves when the core annihilates. We show that the core switching can be controlled with the assist magnetic field and by chang…
The interaction of polarized light with a spin in the presence of dissipation is shown to be equivalent to a spin transfer process that can cause switching. In plasmas, the spin transfer is dominated by a spin-spin exchange term while at lower energy densities it is dominated by an optical Barnett-like effect. This latter effect is used in conjunction with optical phonons to predict femtosecond magnetization reversal believed to be recently measured in GdCoFe thin films. Conventional approaches based on the Bloch and the Landau-Lifshitz equations do not reproduce this ultrafast switching.
The switching of magnetic layers is studied under the action of a spin current in a ferromagnetic metal/non-magnetic metal/ferromagnetic metal spin valve. We find that the main contribution to the switching comes from the non-equilibrium exchange interaction between the ferromagnetic layers. This interaction defines the magnetic configuration of the layers with minimum energy and establishes the threshold for a critical switching current. Depending on the direction of the critical current, the interaction changes sign and a given magnetic configuration becomes unstable. To model the time depen…
Response of the electronic current through an Aharonov-Bohm ring after a two-level-system is switched on is calculated perturbatively by use of non-equilibrium Green function. In the ballistic case the amplitude of the Aharonov-Bohm oscillation is shown to decay to a new equilibrium value due to scattering into other electronic states. Relaxation of Altshuler-Aronov-Spivak oscillation in diffusive case due to dephasing effect is also calculated. The time scale of the relaxation is determined by characteristic relaxation times of the system and the splitting of two-level-system. Oscillation pha…
We experimentally investigate transport properties of a hybrid structure, which consists of a thin single crystal SnSe flake on a top of 5~$μ$m spaced Au leads. The structure initially is in highly-conductive state, while it can be switched to low-conductive one at high currents due to the Joule heating of the sample, which should be identified as $α$-$Pnma$ -- $β$-$Cmcm$ diffusionless martensitic phase transition in SnSe. For highly-conductive state, there is significant hysteresis in $dI/dV(V)$ curves at low biases, so the sample conductance depends on the sign of the applied bias change. Th…
Magnetic switching of a single molecular magnet (SMM) due to spin-polarized current flowing between ferromagnetic metallic electrodes is investigated theoretically. Magnetic moments of the electrodes are assumed to be collinear and parallel to the magnetic easy axis of the molecule. Electrons tunneling through a barrier between magnetic leads are coupled to the SMM via exchange interaction. The current flowing through the system as well as the spin relaxation times of the SMM are calculated from the Fermi golden rule. It is shown that spin of the SMM can be reversed by applying a voltage betwe…
We study the combined effects of spin transfer torque, voltage modulation of interlayer exchange coupling and magnetic anisotropy on the switching behavior of perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (p-MTJs). In asymmetric p-MTJs, a linear-in-voltage dependence of interlayer exchange coupling enables the effective perpendicular anisotropy barrier to be lowered for both voltage polarities. This mechanism is shown to reduce the critical switching current and effective activation energy. Finally, we analyze the possibility of having switching via interlayer exchange coupling only.
Flexible control of magnetization switching by electrical manners is crucial for applications of spin-orbitronics. Besides of a switching current that is parallel to an applied field, a bias current that is normal to the switching current is introduced to tune the magnitude of effective damping-like and field-like torques and further to electrically control magnetization switching. Symmetrical and asymmetrical control over the critical switching current by the bias current with opposite polarities is both realized in Pt/Co/MgO and $α$-Ta/CoFeB/MgO systems, respectively. This research not only …
Reversible straintronic switching of a nanomagnet's magnetization between two stable or metastable states promises ultra-energy-efficient non-volatile memory. Here, we report strain-induced magnetization switching in ~300 nm sized FeGa nanomagnets delineated on a piezoelectric PMN-PT substrate. Voltage of one polarity applied across the substrate generates compressive strain in a nanomagnet and switches its magnetization to one state, while voltage of the opposite polarity generates tensile strain and switches the magnetization back to the original state, resulting in "non-toggle" switching. T…
We examine the magnetic properties of the localized states induced by lattice vacancies in bilayer graphene with an unrestricted Hartree-Fock calculation. We show that with realistic values of the parameters and for experimentally accessible gate voltages we can have a magnetic switching between an unpolarized and a fully polarized system.
We propose a theoretical model of magnetization switching in a ferromagnetic multilayer by both electric current and microwaves. The electric current gives a spin transfer torque on the magnetization, while the microwaves induce a precession of the magnetization around the initial state. Based on numerical simulation of the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation, it is found that the switching current is significantly reduced compared with the switching caused solely by the spin transfer torque when the microwave frequency is in a certain range. We develop a theory of switching from the LLG eq…
Current-induced spin-transfer torques (STT) and spin-orbit torques (SOT) enable the electrical switching of magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) in nonvolatile magnetic random access memories. In order to develop faster memory devices, an improvement of the timescales underlying the current driven magnetization dynamics is required. Here we report all-electrical time-resolved measurements of magnetization reversal driven by SOT in a three-terminal MTJ device. Single-shot measurements of the MTJ resistance during current injection reveal that SOT switching involves a stochastic two-step process con…
Current-induced switching is considered in a magnetic junction. The junction includes pinned and free ferromagnetic layers which work in the regime of the high spin injection. It is shown that in such a regime the exchange magnetization reversal threshold can be lowered up to two times when the axes of the layers are noncollinear.
Deterministic magnetization switching using spin-orbit torque (SOT) has recently emerged as an efficient means to electrically control the magnetic state of ultrathin magnets. The SOT switching still lacks in oscillatory switching characteristics over time, therefore, it is limited to bipolar operation where a change in polarity of the applied current or field is required for bistable switching. The coherent rotation based oscillatory switching schemes cannot be applied to SOT because the SOT switching occurs through expansion of magnetic domains. Here, we experimentally achieve oscillatory sw…
We theoretically investigate the switching of a perpendicular magnetic layer by in-plane charge current due to the spin Hall effect. We find that, in the high damping regime, the threshold switching current is independent of the damping constant, and is almost linearly proportional to both effective perpendicular magnetic anisotropy field and external in-plane field applied along the current direction. We obtain an analytic expression of the threshold current, in excellent agreement with numerical results. This expression can be used to determine the physical quantities associated with spin Ha…
Current-induced spin-orbit torques provide a versatile tool for switching magnetic devices. In perpendicular magnets, the dampinglike component of the torque is the main driver of magnetization reversal. The degree to which the fieldlike torque assists the switching is a matter of debate. Here we study the switching of magnetic tunnel junctions with a CoFeB free layer and either W or Ta underlayers, which have a ratio of fieldlike to dampinglike torque of 0.3 and 1, respectively. We show that the fieldlike torque can either assist or hinder the switching of CoFeB when the static in-plane magne…
The observed magnetization switching by circularly polarized ultrafast laser pulses has been attributed to the inverse Faraday effect in which the induced non-equilibrium orbital momentum serves as an effective magnetic filed via spin-orbit coupling for magnetization rotation and switching. We critically examine this scenario by explicitly calculating the magnitude of the induced orbital momentum for generic itinerant band. We show that the calculated induced angular momentum is not large enough for reversing the magnetization in one laser pulse with the order of 100 femtosecond duration. Inst…
We report evidence of the magnetization reversal in nanoparticles by surface acoustic waves (SAWs). The experimental system consists of isolated magnetite nanoparticles dispersed on a piezoelectric substrate. Magnetic relaxation from a saturated state becomes significantly enhanced in the presence of the SAW at a constant temperature of the substrate. The dependence of the relaxation on SAW power and frequency has been investigated. The effect is explained by the effective ac magnetic field generated by the SAW in the nanoparticles.
We develop a valley-dependent envelope function theory that can describe the effects of arbitrary configurations of interface steps and miscuts on the qubit relaxation time. For a given interface roughness, we show how our theory can be used to find the valley-dependent dipole matrix elements, the valley splitting, and the spin-valley coupling as a function of the electromagnetic fields in a Si/SiGe quantum dot spin qubit. We demonstrate that our theory can quantitatively reproduce and explain the result of experimental measurements for the spin relaxation time with only a minimal set of free …
We study theoretically nonlinear valley polarization dynamics of excitons in atom-thin semiconductors. The presence of significant polarization slows down valley relaxation due to an effective magnetic field resulting from exciton-exciton interactions. We address temporal dynamics of valley polarized excitons and study the steady states of the polarized exciton gas. We demonstrate bistability of the valley polarization where two steady states with low and high valley polarization are formed. We study the effects of fluctuations and noise in such system. We evaluate valley polarization autocorr…
We proposed and demonstrated a simple method for detection of in-plane magnetization switching by spin-orbit torque (SOT) in bilayers of non-magnetic / magnetic materials. In our method, SOT is used not only for magnetization switching but also for detection. Our method can detect arbitrary Mx and My component without an external magnetic field, which is useful for fast characterization of type-X, type-Y, and type-XY SOT magnetization switching. Our SOT detection scheme can be utilized not only for fast characterization of SOT switching in bilayers, but also for electrical detection of in-plan…
Based on the micromagnetic simulations the magnetization switching in a triangle magnetic element by voltage-control of magnetic anisotropy and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction under in-plane magnetic field is proposed. The proposed switching scheme is not the toggle switching but the deterministic switching where the magnetic state is determined by the polarity of the applied voltage pulse. The mechanism and conditions for the switching are clarified. The results provide a fast and low-power writing method for magnetoresistive random access memories.
Switching of the direction of the magnetic moment in a nanomagnet is studied within a modified Slonczewski's model that permits torsional oscillations of the magnet. We show that the latter may inhibit or assist the magnetization switching, depending on parameters. Three regimes have been studied: the switching by torsional oscillations alone, the switching by the spin-polarized current with torsional oscillations permitted, and the magnetization switching by the current combined with the mechanical twist. We show that switching of the magnetic moment is possible in all three cases and that al…
Electric field-induced magnetization switching in multiferroics is intriguing for both fundamental studies and potential technological applications. Here, we review the recent developments on electric field-induced magnetization switching in multiferroic heterostructures. Particularly, we study the dynamics of magnetization switching between the two stable states in a shape-anisotropic single-domain nanomagnet using stochastic Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation in the presence of thermal fluctuations. For magnetostrictive nanomagnets in strain-coupled multiferroic composites, such study of…
A common ploy to reduce the switching current and energy dissipation in spin-transfer-torque driven magnetization switching of shape-anisotropic single-domain nanomagnets is to employ magnets with low saturation magnetization $M_s$ and high shape-anisotropy. The high shape-anisotropy compensates for low $M_s$ to keep the static switching error rate constant. However, this ploy increases the switching delay, its variance in the presence of thermal noise, and the dynamic switching error rate. Using the stochastic Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation with a random torque emulating thermal noise, we s…
We study the classical dynamics of resonantly modulated large-spin systems in a strong magnetic field. We show that these systems have special symmetry. It leads to characteristic nonlinear effects. They include abrupt switching between magnetization branches with varying modulating field without hysteresis and a specific pattern of switching in the presence of multistability and hysteresis. Along with steady forced vibrations the transverse spin components can display transient vibrations at a combination of the Larmor frequency and a slower frequency determined by the anisotropy energy. The …
We report on the switching of the in-plane magnetization of thin yttrium iron garnet (YIG)/Pt bilayers induced by an electrical current. The switching is either field-induced and assisted by a dc current, or current-induced and assisted by a static magnetic field. The reversal of the magnetization occurs at a current density as low as $10^5$~A/cm$^{2}$ and magnetic fields of $\sim 40$~$μ$T, two orders of magnitude smaller than in ferromagnetic metals, consistently with the weak uniaxial anisotropy of the YIG layers. We use the transverse component of the spin Hall magnetoresistance to sense th…
Spintronics provides an efficient platform for realizing non-volatile memory and logic devices. In these systems, data is stored in the magnetization of magnetic materials, and magnetization is switched in the writing process. In conventional spintronic devices, ferromagnetic materials are used which have a magnetization dynamics timescale of around the nanoseconds, setting a limit for the switching speed. Increasing the magnetization switching speed has been one of the challenges in spintronic research. In this work we take advantage of the ultrafast magnetization dynamics in ferrimagnetic ma…
We report theoretical investigation of the switching probability of electric field-induced precessional magnetization switching by solving the Fokker-Planck equation numerically with finite difference method. The switching probability is determined by the net magnetic field induced by the deviation of precession angle from its equilibrium position after precession process. The error rate has the lowest value under an appropriate applied external field for the voltage pulse duration $τ_{pulse}$ a little longer than the half precession period. The calculated results show that ultra-low error rat…
We report single-shot measurements of resistance versus time for thermally assisted spin-torque-driven switching in magnetic tunnel junctions. We achieve sufficient sensitivity to resolve the resistance signals leading up to switching, including the variations between individual switching events. Analyses of pre-switching thermal fluctuations allow detailed measurements of coherence times and variations in magnetization precession amplitude. We find that with a small in-plane hard-axis magnetic field the magnetization dynamics are more spatially coherent than for the case of zero field.
We demonstrate stable and reversible current induced switching of large-area ($> 100\;μm^2$) antiferromagnetic domains in NiO/Pt by performing concurrent transport and magneto-optical imaging measurements in an adapted Kerr microscope. By correlating the magnetic images of the antiferromagnetic domain changes and magneto-transport signal response in these current-induced switching experiments, we disentangle magnetic and non-magnetic contributions to the transport signal. Our table-top approach establishes a robust procedure to subtract the non-magnetic contributions in the transport signal an…
The relative contributions of in-plane (damping-like) and out-of-plane (field-like) spin-transfer-torques in the magnetization switching of out-of-plane magnetized magnetic tunnel junctions (pMTJ) has been theoretically analyzed using the transformed Landau-Lifshitz (LL) equation with the STT terms. It is demonstrated that in a pMTJ structure obeying macrospin dynamics, the out-of-plane torque influences the precession frequency but it does not contribute significantly to the STT switching process (in particular to the switching time and switching current density), which is mostly determined b…
As an alternative to conventional magnetic field, the effective spin-orbit field in transition metals, derived from the Rashba field experienced by itinerant electrons confined in a spatial inversion asymmetric plane through the s-d exchange interaction, is proposed for the manipulation of magnetization. Magnetization switching in ferromagnetic thin films with perpendicular magnetocrystalline anisotropy can be achieved by current induced spin-orbit field, with small in-plane applied magnetic field. Spin-orbit field induced by current pulses as short as 10 ps can initiate ultrafast magnetizatio…
We show that the magnetic moment of a composite multiferroic torsional oscillator can be switched by the electric field. The 180$^o$ switching arises from the spin-rotation coupling and is not prohibited by the different symmetry of the magnetic moment and the electric field as in the case of a stationary magnet. Analytical equations describing the system have been derived and investigated numerically. Phase diagrams showing the range of parameters required for the switching have been obtained.
In this letter, we demonstrate switching of nanomagnets through RKKY interactions in topological insulator-based magnetoelectric devices. The switching speed is dependent on the size of the ferromagnets.
We demonstrate magnetization switching in out-of-plane magnetized Ta\CoFeB\MgO nanowires by current pulse injection along the nanowires, both with and without a constant and uniform magnetic field collinear to the current direction. We deduce that an effective torque arising from spin-orbit effects in the multilayer drives the switching mechanism. While the generation of a component of the magnetization along the current direction is crucial for the switching to occur, we observe that even without a longitudinal field thermally generated magnetization fluctuations can lead to switching. Analys…
Spin torque majority gates are modeled and several regimes of magnetization switching (some leading to failure) are discovered. The switching speed and noise margins are determined for STMGs and an adder based on it. With switching time of 3ns at current of 80uA, the adder computational throughput is comparable to that of a CMOS adder.
In the quest to develop spintronic logic, it was discovered that magnetoelectric switching results in lower energy and shorter switching time than other mechanisms. Magnetoelectric (ME) field due to exchange bias at the interface with a multi-ferroic (such as BiFeO3) is well suited for 180 degree switching of magnetization. The ME field is determined by the direction of canted magnetization in BiFeO3 which can point at an angle to the plane, to which voltage is applied. Dependence of switching time and the threshold of ME field on its angles was determined by micromagnetic simulations. Switchi…
In this article we analyze by modeling two possible mechanisms for magnetization switching using spin orbit torques, which have been reported to cause field-free deterministic switching in experiments. Here we compare the field-free magnetization switching due to a tilt of the anisotropy direction against the use of an antiferromagnetic bias field. Simple results obtained analytically show that a bias field not only causes the magnetization reversal but also reduces the corresponding energy barrier. The critical current required for magnetization switching is analyzed on the basis of a macrosp…
We study current-induced switching in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) in the presence of a field-like spin-transfer torque and titled pinned-layer magnetization in the high current limit at finite temperature. We consider both the Slonczewski and field-like torques with coefficients $a_J$ and $b_J $, respectively. At finite temperatures, $σ= b_J/a_J = \pm1$ leads to a smaller mean switching time compared that with $σ= 0$. The reduction of switching time in the presence of the field-like term is due to the alignment effect (for $σ> 0$) and the initial torque effect.
Recently it has been shown that not only GdFeCo alloys exhibit single-pulse helicity-independent all-optical switching (HI-AOS), but that this effect is also seen in Co/Gd bilayers. However, there have been no reports on the explicit time dynamics of the switching process in these bilayers as of yet. Furthermore, time-resolved measurements of switching of other materials are typically done with a constant applied field to reset the magnetization between consecutive pulses and thus ensure repeatable behavior. In this paper we experimentally resolve the explicit dynamics of the switching process…
We report time-resolved measurements of magnetization switching by spin-orbit torques in the absence of an external magnetic field in perpendicularly magnetized magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ). Field-free switching is enabled by the dipolar field of an in-plane magnetized layer integrated above the MTJ stack, the orientation of which determines the switching polarity. Real-time single-shot measurements provide direct evidence of magnetization reversal and switching distributions. Close to the critical switching voltage we observe stochastic reversal events due to a finite incubation delay prec…
Recent demonstrations of the electrical switching of antiferromagnets (AFs) have given an enormous impulse to the field of AF spintronics. Many of these observations are plagued by non-magnetic effects that are very difficult to distinguish from the actual magnetic ones. Here, we study the electrical switching of thin (5 nm) NiO films in Pt/NiO devices using magnetic fields up to 15 T to quantitatively disentangle these magnetic and non-magnetic effects. We demonstrate that these fields suppress the magnetic components of the electrical switching of NiO, but leave the non-magnetic components i…
We demonstrate the reduction of critical spin-transfer torque (STT) switching currents in Co-Fe-B/MgO based magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) with perpendicular magnetization anisotropy (PMA). The junctions yield tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) ratios of up to 64% at 4 monolayer (ML) tunnel barrier thickness. In this paper, the reduction of the critical switching current density is studied. By optimizing the applied bias field during DC-STT measurements, ultra low critical switching current densities of less than 20 kA/cm$^2$, even down to 9 kA/cm$^2$, are found. With the reduced switching curren…
Since the discovery of the spin orbit torque (SOT) induced by spin Hall effect in heavy metals, much effort has been devoted to understanding the mechanism of the charge-to-spin conversion as well as to developing new schemes for high speed, low energy magnetic recording technologies. While fast switching has been demonstrated in three terminal magnetic tunnel junctions (3T-MTJs) through applying short voltage pulses in the heavy metal channel, detailed understanding of the switching mechanism is lacking due to the complexity of the multi-layered magnetic structure and the three-terminal geome…
We demonstrate electrical magnetization switching and spin pumping in magnetically doped Weyl semimetals. The Weyl semimetal is a new class of topological semimetals, known to have nontrivial coupling between the charge and the magnetization due to the chiral anomaly. By solving the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation for a multilayer structure of a Weyl semimetal, an insulator and a metal whilst taking the charge-magnetization coupling into account, magnetization dynamics is analyzed. It is shown that the magnetization dynamics can be driven by the electric voltage. Consequently, switching of th…
A simple mechanism of controllable switching of magnetic vortex chirality is proposed. We consider curvilinear magnetic nanoshells of spherical geometry whose ground state is a vortex magnetization distribution. Chirality of this magnetic vortex can be switched in controllable way by applying a Gaussian pulse of spatially uniform magnetic field along the symmetry axis of the shell. The chirality switching process is explored in detail numerically for various parameters of magnetic pulse: the corresponding switching diagram is build. The role of the curvature is ascertained by studying the swit…
The current induced magnetization reversal in nanoscale spin valves is a potential alternative to magnetic field switching in magnetic memory devices. We show that the critical switching current can be decreased by an order of magnitude by strategically distributing the resistances in the magnetically active region of the spin valve. In addition, we simulate full switching curves and predict a new precessional state.
We demonstrate efficient current induced spin orbit torque switching in perpendicularly magnetized epitaxial MgO(001)//Pd/Co2FeAl/MgO heterostructures grown by magnetron sputtering. The advantage of such heterostructures for spin orbit torque MRAM devices is that they allow a unique combination of critical ingredients: i) low resistivity required for reduced electric energy consumption during writing, ii) high TMR ratio required for efficient reading and iii) strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy for increased thermal stability.
We investigate switching of magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) driven by the thermal effect of the transport current through the junctions. The switching occurs in a specially designed composite free layer, which acts as one of the MTJ electrodes, and is due to a current-driven ferro-to-paramagnetic Curie transition with the associated exchange decoupling within the free layer leading to magnetic reversal. We simulate the current and heat propagation through the device and show how heat focusing can be used to improve the power efficiency. The Curie-switch MTJ demonstrated in this work has the a…
