18 research outputs found
Bimodal switching field distributions in all-perpendicular spin-valve nanopillars
Switching field measurements of the free layer element of 75 nm diameter
spin-valve nanopillars reveal a bimodal distribution of switching fields at low
temperatures (below 100 K). This result is inconsistent with a model of thermal
activation over a single perpendicular anisotropy barrier. The correlation
between antiparallel to parallel and parallel to antiparallel switching fields
increases to nearly 50% at low temperatures. This reflects random fluctuation
of the shift of the free layer hysteresis loop between two different
magnitudes, which may originate from changes in the dipole field from the
polarizing layer. The magnitude of the loop shift changes by 25% and is
correlated to transitions of the spin-valve into an antiparallel configuration.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to JAP for 58th MMM Proceeding
Asymmetric switching behavior in perpendicularly magnetized spin-valve nanopillars due to the polarizer dipole field
We report the free layer switching field distributions of spin-valve
nanopillars with perpendicular magnetization. While the distributions are
consistent with a thermal activation model, they show a strong asymmetry
between the parallel to antiparallel and the reverse transition, with energy
barriers more than 50% higher for the parallel to antiparallel transitions. The
inhomogeneous dipolar field from the polarizer is demonstrated to be at the
origin of this symmetry breaking. Interestingly, the symmetry is restored for
devices with a lithographically defined notch pair removed from the midpoint of
the pillar cross-section along the ellipse long axis. These results have
important implications for the thermal stability of perpendicular magnetized
MRAM bit cells.Comment: Submitted to Applied Physics Letters on November 4, 2011. Consists of
4 pages, 3 figure
Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, tunneling magnetoresistance and spin-transfer torque effect in magnetic tunnel junctions with Nb layers
Nb and its compounds are widely used in quantum computing due to their high
superconducting transition temperatures and high critical fields. Devices that
combine superconducting performance and spintronic non-volatility could deliver
unique functionality. Here we report the study of magnetic tunnel junctions
with Nb as the heavy metal layers. An interfacial perpendicular magnetic
anisotropy energy density of 1.85 mJ/m2 was obtained in Nb/CoFeB/MgO
heterostructures. The tunneling magnetoresistance was evaluated in junctions
with different thickness combinations and different annealing conditions. An
optimized magnetoresistance of 120% was obtained at room temperature, with a
damping parameter of 0.011 determined by ferromagnetic resonance. In addition,
spin-transfer torque switching has also been successfully observed in these
junctions with a quasistatic switching current density of 7.3*10^5 A/cm2
Large magneto-optical Kerr effect and imaging of magnetic octupole domains in an antiferromagnetic metal
When a polarized light beam is incident upon the surface of a magnetic
material, the reflected light undergoes a polarization rotation. This
magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) has been intensively studied in a variety of
ferro- and ferrimagnetic materials because it provides a powerful probe for
electronic and magnetic properties as well as for various applications
including magneto-optical recording. Recently, there has been a surge of
interest in antiferromagnets (AFMs) as prospective spintronic materials for
high-density and ultrafast memory devices, owing to their vanishingly small
stray field and orders of magnitude faster spin dynamics compared to their
ferromagnetic counterparts. In fact, the MOKE has proven useful for the study
and application of the antiferromagnetic (AF) state. Although limited to
insulators, certain types of AFMs are known to exhibit a large MOKE, as they
are weak ferromagnets due to canting of the otherwise collinear spin structure.
Here we report the first observation of a large MOKE signal in an AF metal at
room temperature. In particular, we find that despite a vanishingly small
magnetization of 0.002 /Mn, the non-collinear AF metal
MnSn exhibits a large zero-field MOKE with a polar Kerr rotation angle of
20 milli-degrees, comparable to ferromagnetic metals. Our first-principles
calculations have clarified that ferroic ordering of magnetic octupoles in the
non-collinear Neel state may cause a large MOKE even in its fully compensated
AF state without spin magnetization. This large MOKE further allows imaging of
the magnetic octupole domains and their reversal induced by magnetic field. The
observation of a large MOKE in an AF metal should open new avenues for the
study of domain dynamics as well as spintronics using AFMs.Comment: 30 pages, 4 figure
Oscillation of interlayer coupling in epitaxial FePd|Ir|FePd(001) perpendicular synthetic antiferromagnet
L10 FePd is a promising candidate material for spin memory devices, especially when paired with Ir as an interlayer coupling layer, leading to significant interlayer exchange coupling (IEC) energy between ferromagnetic layers and strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Synthetic antiferromagnets (SAFs) are emphasized for spintronic applications, offering advantages like quick magnetization switching and enhanced stability. This study presents findings on the influence of Ir spacer thickness on the structural and magnetic properties of FePd SAFs, highlighting lattice matching and coherence throughout the entire SAF structure and revealing a maximum interlayer exchange energy of 3 mJ/m2. We suggest the potential of this FePd|Ir|FePd system as a building block for future spintronic applications
Low Gilbert damping and high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in an Ir-coupled L10-FePd-based synthetic antiferromagnet
Abstract Thin ferromagnetic films possessing perpendicular magnetic anisotropy derived from the crystal lattice can deliver the requisite magnetocrystalline anisotropy density for thermally stable magnetic memory and logic devices at the single-digit-nm lateral size. Here, we demonstrate that an epitaxial synthetic antiferromagnet can be formed from L10 FePd, a candidate material with large magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy, through insertion of an ultrathin Ir spacer. Tuning of the Ir spacer thickness leads to synthetic antiferromagnetically coupled FePd layers, with an interlayer exchange field upwards of 0.6 T combined with a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy energy of 0.95 MJ/m3 and a low Gilbert damping of 0.01. Temperature-dependent ferromagnetic resonance measurements show that the Gilbert damping is mostly insensitive to temperature over a range of 20 K up to 300 K. In FePd|Ir|FePd trilayers with lower interlayer exchange coupling, optic and acoustic dynamic ferromagnetic resonance modes are explored as a function of temperature. The ability to engineer low damping and large interlayer exchange coupling in FePd|Ir|FePd synthetic antiferromagnets with high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy could prove useful for high performance spintronic devices
Investigation of split CoFeB/Ta/CoFeB/MgO stacks for magnetic memories applications
We report on the static and dynamic magnetic properties of W/CoFeB/Ta/CoFeB/MgO stacks, where the CoFeB layer is split in two by a 0.3 nm-thick Ta “dusting” layer. A total CoFeB thickness between 1.2 and 2.4 nm is studied. Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is obtained for thickness below 1.8 nm even at the as-deposited stacks, and it is enhanced after annealing. Saturation magnetization is 1520 (1440) kA/m before (after) annealing, increased compared to non-split CoFeB layers. Ferromagnetic resonance measurements show that high magnetic anisotropy energy may be achieved (effective anisotropy field 0.571 ± 0.003 T), combined to a moderate Gilbert damping (0.030 ± 0.001). We argue that the above characteristics make the split-CoFeB system advantageous for spintronics applications.Funding from the EC (Grant No. 318144 and 686056), from the Spanish MINECO (ref. MAT2014-59772-C2-1-P) and from Comunidad de Madrid (Nanofrontmag, ref. P2013/MIT-2850), is acknowledged.Peer reviewe