Compensated ferrimagnets are promising materials for fast spintronic applications based on domain wall motion as they combine the favourable properties of ferromagnets and antiferromagnets. They inherit from antiferromagnets immunity to external fields, fast spin dynamics and rapid domain wall motion. From ferromagnets they inherit straightforward ways to read out the magnetic state, especially in compensated half metals, where electrons flow in only one spin channel. Here, we investigate domain structure in compensated half-metallic Mn2Ru0.5Ga films and assess their potential in domain wall motion-based spin-electronic devices. Our focus is on understanding and reducing domain wall pinning in unpatterned epitaxial thin films. Two modes of magnetic reversal, driven by nucleation or domain wall motion, are identified for different thin film deposition temperatures $(T_{dep})$. The magnetic aftereffect is analysed to extract activation volumes $(V^*)$, activation energies $(E_A)$, and their variation $(ΔE_A)$. The latter is decisive for the magnetic reversal regime, where domain wall motion dominated reversal (weak pinning) is found for $ΔE_A<0.2$ eV and nucleation dominated reversal (strong pinning) for $ΔE_A>0.5$ eV. A minimum $ΔE_A=28$ meV is found for $T_{dep}=290°$C. Prominent pinning sites are visualized by analysing virgin domain patterns after thermal demagnetization. In the sample investigated they have spacings of order 300 nm, which gives an upper limit of the track-width of spin-torque domain-wall motion-based devices.
We have investigated the domain wall resistance for two types of domain walls in a (Ga,Mn)As Hall bar with perpendicular magnetization. A sizeable positive intrinsic DWR is inferred for domain walls that are pinned at an etching step, which is quite consistent with earlier observations. However, much lower intrinsic domain wall resistance is obtained when domain walls are formed by pinning lines in unetched material. This indicates that the spin transport across a domain wall is strongly influenced by the nature of the pinning.
Spin-orbit torques, which utilize spin currents arising from the spin-orbit coupling, offer a novel method to electrically switch the magnetization with perpendicular anisotropy. However, the necessity of an external magnetic field to achieve a deterministic switching is an obstacle for realizing practical spin-orbit torque devices with all-electric operation. Here, we report a field-free spin-orbit torque switching by exploiting the domain wall motion in an anti-notched microwire with perpendicular anisotropy, which exhibits multi-domain states stabilized by the domain wall surface tension. T…
We investigate the anisotropy of magnetic reversal and current-driven domain wall motion in annealed Ga_0.95Mn_0.05As thin films and Hall bar devices with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Hall bars with current direction along the [110] and [1-10] crystallographic axes are studied. The [110] device shows larger coercive field than the [1-10] device. Strong anisotropy is observed during magnetic reversal between [110] and [1-10] directions. A power law dependence is found for both devices between the critical current (JC) and the magnetization (M), with J_C is proportional to M^2.6. The domai…
Magnetic reversal processes of a FePt/α-Fe/FePt trilayer system with in-plane easy axes have been investigated within a micromagnetic approach. It is found that the magnetic reversal process consists of three steps: nucleation of a prototype of domain wall in the soft phase, the evolution as well as the motion of the domain wall from the soft to the hard phase and finally, the magnetic reversal of the hard phase. For small soft layer thickness Ls, the three steps are reduced to one single step, where the magnetizations in the two phases reverse simultaneously and the hysteresis loops are squar…
We have observed distinct temperature-dependent magnetization reversal modes in a perpendicular (Co/Pd)4/Co/Cu/(Co/Ni)4/Co pseudo-spin-valve, which are correlated with spin-transport properties. At 300 K, magnetization reversal occurs by vertically correlated domains. Below 200 K the hysteresis loop becomes bifurcated due to laterally correlated reversal of the individual stacks. The magnetic configuration change also leads to higher spin disorders and a significant increase in the giant magnetoresistance effect. First order reversal curve measurements reveal that the coupled state can be re-e…
For a circular magnetic nanodot in a vortex ground state we study how the critical velocity $v_c$ of the vortex core reversal depends on the magnitude $H$ of a bias magnetic field applied perpendicularly to the dot plane. We find that, similarly to the case $H$ = 0, the critical velocity does not depend on the size of the dot. The critical velocity is dramatically reduced when the negative (i.e. opposite to the vortex core direction) bias field approaches the value, at which a \emph{static} core reversal takes place. A simple analytical model shows good agreement with our numerical result.
We demonstrate a simple method to tailor the magnetization reversal mechanisms of Co/Pt multilayers by depositing them onto large area nanoporous anodized alumina (AAO) with various aspect ratios, A = pore depth/diameter. Magnetization reversal of composite (Co/Pt)/AAO films with large A is governed by strong domain-wall pinning which gradually transforms into a rotation-dominated reversal for samples with smaller A, as investigated by a first-order reversal curve method in conjunction with analysis of the angular dependent switching fields. The change of the magnetization reversal mode is att…
We present a comprehensive study of the reversal process of perpendicular magnetization in thin layers of the ferromagnetic semiconductor Ga1-xMnxAs. For this investigation we have purposely chosen Ga1-xMnxAs with a low Mn concentration (x ~ 0.02), since in such specimens contributions of cubic and uniaxial anisotropy parameters are comparable, allowing us to identify the role of both types of anisotropy in the magnetic reversal process. As a first step we have systematically mapped out the angular dependence of ferromagnetic resonance in thin Ga1-xMnxAs layers, which is a highly effective too…
All-optical spin reversal presents a new opportunity for spin manipulations, free of a magnetic field. Most of all-optical-spin-reversal ferromagnets are found to have a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), but it has been unknown whether PMA is necessary for the spin reversal. Here we theoretically investigate magnetic thin films with either PMA or in-plane magnetic anisotropy (IMA). Our results show that the spin reversal in IMA systems is possible, but only with a longer laser pulse and within a narrow laser parameter region. The spin reversal does not show a strong helicity dependence …
In thin magnetic films with strong perpendicular anisotropy and strong demagnetizing field two ordered phases are possible. At low temperatures, perpendicularly oriented magnetic domains form a striped pattern. As temperature is increased the system can undergo a spin reorientation transition into a state with in-plane magnetization. Here we present Monte Carlo simulations of such a magnetic film containing a periodic array of non-magnetic defects. We find that the presence of defects stabilizes parallel orientation of stripes against thermal fluctuations at low temperatures. Above the spin re…
Ferromagnetic (FM) layers separated by nonmagnetic metallic spacer layers can exhibit Ruderman Kittel Kasuya Yosida (RKKY) coupling which may lead to a stable synthetic antiferromagnetic (SAF) phase. In this article we study magnetization reversal in [Co/Pt] layers by varying the number of bilayer stacks (Pt/Co) as well as thickness of Ir space layer tIr on rigid Si(100) and flexible polyimide substrates. The samples with tIr = 1.0 nm shows a FM coupling whereas samples with tIr = 1.5 nm shows an AFM coupling between the FM layers. At tIr = 2.0 nm, it shows a bow-tie shaped hysteresis loop ind…
A detailed study of exchange-biased Fe/MnF2 bilayers using magneto-optical Kerr Effect shows that the magnetization reversal occurs almost fully through domain wall nucleation and propagation for external fields parallel to the exchange bias direction. For finite angles phi between bias and external field the magnetization is aligned perpendicular to the field cooling direction for a limited field range for decreasing fields. For external fields perpendicular to the bias direction the magnetization aligns with the field cooling direction for descending and ascending fields before fully reversi…
Earlier models for the room-temperature multiferroic BiFeO3 implicitly assumed that a very strong anisotropy restricts the domain wavevectors q to the three-fold symmetric axis normal to the static polarization P. However, recent measurements demonstrate that the domain wavevectors rotate so that q rotates within the hexagonal plane normal to P away from the field orientation m. We show that the previously neglected three-fold anisotropy K3 restricts the wavevectors to lie along the three-fold axis in zero field. For m along a three-fold axis, the domain with q parallel to m remains metastable…
We study domain wall (DW) dynamics in permalloy nanowires excited by alternating spin-polarized current applied perpendicular to the nanowire. Spin torque ferromagnetic resonance measurements reveal that DW oscillations at a pinning site in the nanowire can be excited with velocities as high as 800 m/s at current densities below 10$^7$ A/cm$^2$.
A new characteristic is observed in the training effect of perpendicular exchange bias. For Pt/Co/Pt/IrMn multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, the magnetization reversal process is accompanied by pinned domain wall motion and the asymmetry of hysteresis loop is always equal to zero during subsequent measurements. It is interesting to find that the exchange field decreases greatly as a function of the cycling number while the coercivity almost does not change. It is clearly demonstrated that the training effect of perpendicular exchange bias strongly depends on the magnetization …
Spin-orbit interaction derived spin torques provide a means of reversing the magnetization of perpendicularly magnetized ultrathin films with currents that flow in the plane of the layers. A basic and critical question for applications is the speed and efficiency of switching with nanosecond current pulses. Here we investigate and contrast the quasistatic (slowly swept current) and pulsed current-induced switching characteristics of micron scale Hall crosses consisting of very thin ($<1$ nm) perpendicularly magnetized CoFeB layers on $β$-Ta. While complete magnetization reversal is found at a …
We have carried out detailed experimental studies of the exchange bias effect of a series of CoO/Co(111) textured bilayers with different Co layer thickness, using the magneto-optical Kerr effect, SQUID magnetometry, polarized neutron reflectivity, x-ray diffraction, and atomic force microscopy. All samples exhibit a pronounced asymmetry of the magnetic hysteresis at the first magnetization reversal as compared to the second reversal. Polarized neutron reflectivity measurements show that the first reversal occurs via nucleation and domain wall motion, while the second reversal is characterized…
Phenomena originated from spin-orbit interaction, such as magnetic anisotropy (MA), Rashba-type interactions, or topological insulators, have drawn huge attention for its intriguing physics. In particular, the search for a novel antiferromagnetic material, with potentially large perpendicular MA (PMA), has been becoming very intensive for next-generation high density memory applications. Here, we propose that substitutions of transition metals Ru and Ir, neighboring and same group elements in the periodic table, for the Rh site in the vicinity of surface can induce a substantially large PMA, u…
The electric (E) field control of magnetic properties opens the prospects of an alternative to magnetic field or electric current activation to control magnetization. Multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) have proven to be particularly sensitive to the influence of an E-field due to the interfacial origin of their anisotropy. In these systems, E-field effects have been recently applied to assist magnetization switching and control domain wall (DW) velocity. Here we report on two new applications of the E-field in a similar material : controlling DW nucleation and stopping DW…
We employed micro-Hall magnetometry and micromagnetic simulations to investigate magnetic vortex pinning at single point defects in individual submicron-sized permalloy disks. Small ferromagnetic particles containing artificial point defects can be fabricated by using an image reversal electron beam lithography process. Corresponding micromagnetic calculations, modeling the defects within the disks as holes, give reasonable agreement between experimental and simulated pinning and depinning field values.
We investigate magnetic anisotropy and magnetization reversal mechanism in chromium telluride thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy. We report existence of strong perpendicular anisotropy in these thin films, along with a relatively strong second order anisotropy contribution. The angular variation of the switching field observed from the magnetoresistance measurement is explained quantitatively using a one-dimensional defect model. The model reveals the relative roles of nucleation and pinning in the magnetization reversal, depending on the applied field orientation. Micromagnetic simula…
The use of epitaxial layers for domain wall-based spintronic applications is often hampered by the presence of pinning sites. Here, we show that when depositing Mn4N(10 nm) epitaxial films, the replacement of MgO(001) by SrTiO3(001) substrates allows minimizing the misfit, and to obtain an improved crystalline quality, a sharper switching, a full remanence, a high anisotropy and remarkable millimeter-sized magnetic domains, with straight and smooth domain walls. In a context of rising interest for current-induced domain wall motion in rare
We present an analytical model for calculating energy barrier for the magnetic field-driven domain wall-mediated magnetization reversal of a magneto-resistive random access memory (MRAM) cell and apply it to study thermal stability factor $Δ$ for various thicknesses of W layers inserted into the free layer (FL) as a function of the cell size and temperature. We find that, by increasing W thickness, the effective perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) energy density of the FL film monotonically increases, but at the same time, $Δ$ of the cell mainly decreases. Our analysis shows that, in addit…
We experimentally investigate the current-induced magnetization reversal in Pt/[Co/Ni]$_3$/Al multilayers combining the anomalous Hall effect and magneto-optical Kerr effect techniques in crossbar geometry. The magnetization reversal occurs through nucleation and propagation of a domain of opposite polarity for a current density of the order of 0.3 TA/m$^2$. In these experiments we demonstrate a full control of each stage: i)the Ørsted field controls the domain nucleation and ii) domain-wall propagation occurs by spin torque from the Pt spin Hall effect. This scenario requires an in-plane magn…
Multifunctional materials composed of ultrathin magnetic films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy combined with ferroelectric substrates represent a new approach toward low power, fast, high density spintronics. Here we demonstrate Co/Ni multilayered films with tunable saturation magnetization and perpendicular anisotropy grown directly on ferroelectric PZT [Pb(Zr_xTi_1-x)O_3] substrate plates. Electric fields up to +/- 2 MV/m expand the PZT by 0.1% and generate at least 0.02% in-plane compression in the Co/Ni multilayered film. Modifying the strain with a voltage can reduce the coercive f…
The time and field dependence of the magnetic domain structure at magnetization reversal were investigated by Kerr microscopy in interacting ferromagnetic Co/Pt multilayers with perpendicular anisotropy. Large local inhomogeneous magnetostatic fields favor mirroring domain structures and domain decoration by rings of opposite magnetization. The long range nature of these magnetostatic interactions gives rise to ultra-slow dynamics even in zero applied field, i.e. it affects the long time domain stability. Due to this additionnal interaction field, the magnetization reversal under short magneti…
Magnetic field-driven domain wall motion in an ultrathin Pt/Co(0.45nm)/Pt ferromagnetic film with perpendicular anisotropy is studied over a wide temperature range. Three different pinning dependent dynamical regimes are clearly identified: the creep, the thermally assisted flux flow and the depinning, as well as their corresponding crossovers. The wall elastic energy and microscopic parameters characterizing the pinning are determined. Both the extracted thermal rounding exponent at the depinning transition, $ψ=$0.15, and the Larkin length crossover exponent, $ϕ=$0.24, fit well with the numer…
The concept of perpendicular shape anisotropy spin-transfer torque magnetic random-access memory (PSA-STT-MRAM) consists in increasing the storage layer thickness to values comparable to the cell diameter, to induce a perpendicular shape anisotropy in the magnetic storage layer. Making use of that contribution, the downsize scalability of the STT-MRAM may be extended towards sub-20 nm technological nodes, thanks to a reinforcement of the thermal stability factor $Δ$. Although the larger storage layer thickness improves $Δ$, it is expected to negatively impact the writing current and switching …
Epitaxial NdBa2Cu3O7-x films with a hybrid nanoscale defect structure comprised of BaZrO3 nanodot arrays aligned along the c-axis in one half of the film thickness and aligned perpendicular to the c-axis in the other half thickness of the film were fabricated. Transmission electron microscopy images confirm the orientation of the nanoscale defect structures. The angular dependence of critical current density, Jc, at 77 K, 1 T, shows significantly reduced angular variation of Jc. This study nicely demonstrates how pinning characteristics can be tuned by tuning the nanoscale defect structures wi…
Magnetic random-access memory (MRAM) driven by spin-transfer torque (STT) is a major contender for future memory applications. The energy dissipation involved in writing remains problematic, even with the advent of more efficient perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) devices. A promising alternative switching mechanism employs spin-orbit torques and the spin-Hall effect (SHE) in particular, but additional symmetry breaking is required to achieve deterministic switching in PMA devices. Currently used methods rely on in-plane magnetic fields or anisotropy gradients, which are not suitable for …
A thin Hafnium film is shown to act both as an effective diffusion barrier for manganese at a thickness of 0.7 nm, and as an effective exchange coupling layer in a sandwich structure with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The magnetic layers are Co$_{20}$Fe$_{60}$B$_{20}$ and the low moment ferrimagnet Mn$_2$Ru$_x$Ga (MRG). The coupling changes sign at the compensation temperature of MRG and the exchange energy reaches 0.11 mJm$^{-2}$ for the thinnest Hf interlayers. Ruthenium, the usual metal of choice for coupling ferromagnetic layers in thin film heterostructures, cannot be used with the z…
The magnetic properties of MnAs epilayers have been investigated for two different substrate orientations: GaAs(100) and GaAs(111). We have analyzed the magnetization reversal under magnetic field at low temperatures, determining the anisotropy of the films. The results, based on the shape of the magnetization loops, suggest a domain movement mechanism for both types of samples. The temperature dependence of the coercivity of the films has been also examined, displaying a generic anomalous reentrant behavior at T$>$200 K. This feature is independent of the substrate orientation and films thick…
We report the results of micromagnetic simulations of domain wall (DW) nucleation and pinning/depinning processes in ferromagnetic planar structure consisting of nanowire (NW) with perpendicular anisotropy and special V-shaped nanoparticle (NP) with in-plane anisotropy located on top of NW. The magnetization reversal features of this system in an external magnetic field are investigated depending on the direction of particle magnetic moment. Possible variants of magnetic logic cells (LCs) based on such system are discussed.
Electric field effects in ferromagnetic/oxide dielectric structures provide a new route to control domain wall (DW) dynamics with low power dissipation. However, electric field effects on DW velocities have only been observed so far in the creep regime where DW velocities are low due to strong interactions with pinning sites. Here, we show gate voltage modulation of DW velocities ranging from the creep to the flow regime in Ta/Co40Fe40B20/MgO/TiO2 structures with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. We demonstrate a universal description of the role of applied electric fields in the various pinn…
We study a high-TC superconducting (YBa2Cu3O7-d) / ferromagnetic (Co/Pt multilayer) hybrid which exhibits resistance switching driven by the magnetic history: depending on the direction of the external field, a pronounced decrease or increase of the mixed-state resistance is observed as magnetization reversal occurs within the Co/Pt multilayer. We demonstrate that stray magnetic fields cause these effects via i) creation of vortices/antivortices and ii) magnetostatic pinning of vortices that are induced by the external field.
We study the magnetic properties of nanoscale magnetic films with large perpendicular anisotropy comparing polarization microscopy measurements on Co_28Pt_72 alloy samples based on the magneto-optical Kerr effect with Monte Carlo simulations of a corresponding micromagnetic model. We focus on the understanding of the dynamics especially the temperature and field dependence of the magnetisation reversal process. The experimental and simulational results for hysteresis, the reversal mechanism, domain configurations during the reversal, and the time dependence of the magnetisation are in very goo…
Thermal stability factor (delta) of recording layer was studied in perpendicular anisotropy CoFeB/MgO magnetic tunnel junctions (p-MTJs) with various CoFeB recording layer thicknesses and junction sizes. In all series of p-MTJs with different thicknesses, delta is virtually independent of the junction sizes of 48-81 nm in diameter. The values of delta increase linearly with increasing the recording layer thickness. The slope of the linear fit is explained well by a model based on nucleation type magnetization reversal.
The Monte Carlo method in the canonical ensemble is used to investigate magnetization reversal in amorphous transition metal - rare earth multilayers. Our study is based on a model containing diluted clusters which exhibit an effective uniaxial anisotropy in competition with random magnetic anisotropy in the matrix. We simulate hysteresis loops for an abrupt profile and a diffuse one obtained from atom probe tomography analyses. Our results evidence that the atom probe tomography profile favors perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in agreement with magnetic measurements. Moreover, the hysteresis …
We have studied magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) thin-film stacks using the First Order Reversal Curve (FORC) method. These have very sharp structures in the FORC distribution, unlike most particulate systems or patterned films. These structures are hard to study using conventional FORC analysis programs that require smoothing, because this washes out the structure. We have used a new analysis program (FORC+) that is designed to distinguish fine-scale structure from noise without the use of smoothing, to identify these structures and gain information about the switching mechanism of the stack.
We have prepared the dilute magnetic semiconductor (DMS) InMnAs with different Mn concentrations by ion implantation and pulsed laser melting. The Curie temperature of the In1-xMnxAs epilayer depends on the Mn concentration x, reaching 82 K for x=0.105. The substitution of Mn ions at the Indium sites induces a compressive strain perpendicular to the InMnAs layer and a tensile strain along the in-plane direction. This gives rise to a large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, which is often needed for the demonstration of electrical control of magnetization and for spin-transfer-torque induced ma…
A simple scheme to extract the magnetization reversals of characteristic magnetic domains on nanofabricated periodic arrays from soft x-ray resonant magnetic scattering (SXRMS) data is presented. The SXRMS peak intensities from a permalloy square ring array were measured with field cycling using circularly polarized soft x-rays at the Ni L$_3$ absorption edge. Various SXRMS hysteresis loops observed at different diffraction orders enabled the determination of the magnetization reversal of each magnetic domain using a simple linear algebra. The extracted domain-specific hysteresis loops reveal …
We theoretically and experimentally analyze the pinning of a magnetic domain wall (DW) at engineered anisotropy variations in Pt/Co/Pt strips with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. An analytical model is derived showing that a step in the anisotropy acts as an energy barrier for the DW. Quantitative measurements are performed showing that the anisotropy can be controlled by focused ion beam irradiation with Ga ions. This tool is used to experimentally study the field-induced switching of nanostrips which are locally irradiated. The boundary of the irradiated area indeed acts as a pinning barr…
We show experimentally through time-resolved conductance measurements that magnetization reversal through domain wall motion in sub-100 nm diameter magnetic tunnel junctions is dominated by two distinct stochastic effects. The first involves the incubation time related to domain wall nucleation, while the second results from stochastic motion in the Walker regime. Micromagnetics simulations reveal several contributions to temporal pinning of the wall near the disk center, including Bloch point nucleation and wall precession. We show that a reproducible ballistic motion is recovered when Bloch …
Helicity indicates the in-plane magnetic-moment swirling direction of a skyrmionic configuration. The ability to reverse the helicity of a skyrmionic bubble via purely electrical means has been predicted in frustrated magnetic systems, however its experimental observation has remained challenging. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the current-driven helicity reversal of the skyrmionic bubble in a nanostructured frustrated Fe3Sn2 magnet. The critical current density required to trigger the helicity reversal is 109 - 1010 A/m2, with a corresponding pulse-width varying from 1 μs to 100 ns. Comp…
The reversal of perpendicular magnetization (PM) by electric control is crucial for high-density integration of low-power magnetic random-access memory (MRAM). Although the spin-transfer torque (STT) and spin-orbit torque (SOT) technologies have been used to switch the magnetization of a free layer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, the former has limited endurance because of the high current density directly through the junction, while the latter requires an external magnetic field or unconventional configuration to break the symmetry. Here we propose and realize the orbit-transfer torqu…
Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) and dynamic magnetization reversal process in [CoFeB $t$ nm/Pd 1.0 nm]$_n$ ($t$ = 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, and 1.2 nm; $n$ = 2 - 20) multilayer films have been studied by means of magnetic hysteresis and Kerr effect measurements. Strong and controllable PMA with an effective uniaxial anisotropy up to 7.7$\times$ 10$^6$ J.m$^{-3}$ and a saturation magnetization as low as 200 emu/cc are achieved. Surface/interfacial anisotropy of CoFeB/Pd interfaces, the main contribution to the PMA, is separated from the effective uniaxial anisotropy of the films, and appears …
We study thermally assisted domain wall generation in perpendicular magnetic anisotropy CoFeB trilayer nanowires by the effect of Joule heating. The anomalous Hall effect is utilized to detect magnetization reversal in order to study the domain wall generation. We observe a statistical distribution in the switching process which is consistent with the thermal activation process. Our results show that the proposed method provides an efficient way for generating domain walls in perpendicular magnetic nanowires at predefined locations.
Thermally-assisted ultra-fast magnetization reversal in a DC magnetic field for magnetic multilayer thin films with perpendicular anisotropy has been investigated in the time domain using femtosecond laser heating. The experiment is set-up as an optically pumped stroboscopic Time Resolved Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect magnetometer. It is observed that a modest laser fluence of about 0.3 mJ/square-cm induces switching of the magnetization in an applied field much less than the DC coercivity (0.8 T) on the sub-nanosecond time-scale. This switching was thermally-assisted by the energy from the femt…
Large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (MA) is highly desirable for realizing atomic-scale magnetic data storage which represents the ultimate limit of the density of magnetic recording. In this work, we studied the MA of transition metal dimers Co-Os, Co-Co and Os-Os adsorbed on two-dimensional ferroelectric In2Se3 (In2Se3-CoOs, In2Se3-OsCo, In2Se3-CoCo and In2Se3-OsOs) by first-principles calculations. It is found that the Co-Os dimer in In2Se3-CoOs has large total perpendicular magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) of ~ 40 meV. In particular, the MAE arising from Os atom is up to ~ 60 meV. The …
Magnetic nanowires are a good platform to study fundamental processes in Magnetism and have many attractive applications in recording such as perpendicular storage and in spintronics such as non-volatile magnetic memory devices (MRAM) and magnetic logic devices. In this work, nanowires are used to study magnetization reversal processes through a novel geometric approach. Reversal modes imprint a definite signature on a parametric curve representing the locus of the critical switching field. We show how the different modes affect the geometry of this curve depending on the nature of the anisotr…
Exchange-coupled structures consisting of ferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic layers become technologically more and more important. We show experimentally the occurrence of completely reversible, hysteresis-free minor loops of [Co(0.2 nm)/Ni(0.4 nm)/Pt(0.6 nm)]$_N$ multilayers exchange-coupled to a 20 nm thick ferrimagnetic Tb$_{28}$Co$_{14}$Fe$_{58}$ layer, acting as hard magnetic pinning layer. Furthermore, we present detailed theoretical investigations by means of micromagnetic simulations and most important a purely analytical derivation for the condition of the occurrence of full reversibili…
Ta/CoFeB/MgO trilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy are expected to play a key role in the next generation of current and electric field switched memory and logic devices. In this study we use Kerr microscopy alongside electrical transport measurement to gain insight into the underlying switching mechanisms of such devices. We find switching to be a stochastic, domain wall driven process, the speed of which is strongly dependent on the switching current. Kerr imaging shows domain nucleation at the edge of the device which modelling reveals is likely assisted by the perpendicular comp…
Magnetic-domain structure and dynamics play an important role in understanding and controlling the magnetic properties of two-dimensional magnets, which are of interest to both fundamental studies and applications[1-5]. However, the probe methods based on the spin-dependent optical permeability[1,2,6] and electrical conductivity[7-10] can neither provide quantitative information of the magnetization nor achieve nanoscale spatial resolution. These capabilities are essential to image and understand the rich properties of magnetic domains. Here, we employ cryogenic scanning magnetometry using a s…
Cumulative growth of successive minor hysteresis loops in Co/Pd multilayers with perpendicular anisotropy was studied in the context of time dependent magnetization reversal dynamics. We show that in disordered ferromagnets, where magnetization reversal involves nucleation, domains' expansion and annihilation, differences between the time dependencies of these processes are responsible for accumulation of nuclei for rapid domain expansion, for the asymmetry of forward and backward magnetization reversals and for the respective cumulative growth of hysteresis loops. Loops stop changing and beco…
We time-resolve the spin-transfer-torque-induced switching in perpendicularly magnetized tunnel junctions of diameters from 50 to 250 nm in the thermally activated regime. When the field and the spin-torque concur to favor the P to AP transition, the reversal yields monotonic resistance ramps that can be interpreted as a domain wall propagation through the device at velocities of 17 to 30 nm/ns; smaller cells switch hence faster. When the field hinders the P to AP transition, the switching is preceded by repetitive switching attempts, during which the resistance transiently increases until suc…
