720 research outputs found
Frequency Modulation of Spin-Transfer Oscillators
Spin-polarized dc electric current flowing into a magnetic layer can induce
precession of the magnetization at a frequency that depends on current. We show
that addition of an ac current to this dc bias current results in a frequency
modulated (FM) spectral output, generating sidebands spaced at the modulation
frequency. The sideband amplitudes and shift of the center frequency with drive
amplitude are in good agreement with a nonlinear FM model that takes into
account the nonlinear frequency-current relation generally induced by spin
transfer. Single-domain simulations show that ac current modulates the cone
angle of the magnetization precession, in turn modulating the frequency via the
demagnetizing field. These results are promising for communications and signal
processing applications of spin-transfer oscillators.Comment: 13 pages, 3 Figure
Temperature dependent dynamic and static magnetic response in magnetic tunnel junctions with Permalloy layers
Ferromagnetic resonance and static magnetic properties of CoFe/Al2O3/CoFe/Py
and CoFe/Al2O3/CoFeB/Py magnetic tunnel junctions and of 25nm thick
single-layer Permalloy(Py) films have been studied as a function of temperature
down to 2K. The temperature dependence of the ferromagnetic resonance excited
in the Py layers in magnetic tunnel junctions shows knee-like enhancement of
the resonance frequency accompanied by an anomaly in the magnetization near
60K. We attribute the anomalous static and dynamic magnetic response at low
temperatures to interface stress induced magnetic reorientation transition at
the Py interface which could be influenced by dipolar soft-hard layer coupling
through the Al2O3 barrier
Current-Driven Microwave Dynamics in Magnetic Point Contacts as a Function of Applied Field Angle
We have measured microwave frequency, current-driven magnetization dynamics
in point contacts made to Co90Fe10/Cu/ Ni80Fe20 spin valves as a function of
applied field strength and angle relative to the film plane. As the field
direction is varied from parallel to nearly perpendicular, the device power
output increases by roughly two orders of magnitude while the frequencies of
the excitations decrease. For intermediate angles the excited frequency does
not monotonically vary with applied current and also exhibits abrupt,
current-dependent jumps. For certain ranges of current, and applied field
strength and direction, the excitation linewidths decrease to a few megahertz,
leading to quality factors over 18,000
Broadband Ferromagnetic Resonance Linewidth Measurement of Magnetic Tunnel Junction Multilayers
The broadband ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) linewidth of the free layer of
magnetic tunnel junctions is used as a simple diagnostic of the quality of the
magnetic structure. The FMR linewidth increases near the field regions of free
layer reversal and pinned layer reversal, and this increase correlates with an
increase in magnetic hysteresis in unpatterned films, low frequency noise in
patterned devices, and previous observations of magnetic domain ripple by use
of Lorentz microscopy. Postannealing changes the free layer FMR linewidth
indicating that considerable magnetic disorder, originating in the
exchange-biased pinned layer, is transferred to the free layer.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure
Switching Distributions for Perpendicular Spin-Torque Devices within the Macrospin Approximation
We model "soft" error rates for writing (WSER) and for reading (RSER) for
perpendicular spin-torque memory devices by solving the Fokker-Planck equation
for the probability distribution of the angle that the free layer magnetization
makes with the normal to the plane of the film. We obtain: (1) an exact, closed
form, analytical expression for the zero-temperature switching time as a
function of initial angle; (2) an approximate analytical expression for the
exponential decay of the WSER as a function of the time the current is applied;
(3) comparison of the approximate analytical expression for the WSER to
numerical solutions of the Fokker-Planck equation; (4) an approximate
analytical expression for the linear increase in RSER with current applied for
reading; (5) comparison of the approximate analytical formula for the RSER to
the numerical solution of the Fokker-Planck equation; and (6) confirmation of
the accuracy of the Fokker-Planck solutions by comparison with results of
direct simulation using the single-macrospin Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG)
equations with a random fluctuating field in the short-time regime for which
the latter is practical
Direct-Current Induced Dynamics in Co90Fe10/Ni80Fe20 Point Contacts
We have directly measured coherent high-frequency magnetization dynamics in
ferromagnet films induced by a spin-polarized DC current. The precession
frequency can be tuned over a range of several gigahertz, by varying the
applied current. The frequencies of excitation also vary with applied field,
resulting in a microwave oscillator that can be tuned from below 5 GHz to above
40 GHz. This novel method of inducing high-frequency dynamics yields
oscillations having quality factors from 200 to 800. We compare our results
with those from single-domain simulations of current-induced dynamics
The DEPOSIT computer code: calculations of electron-loss cross sections for complex ions colliding with neutral atoms
A description of the DEPOSIT computer code is presented. The code is intended
to calculate total and m-fold electron-loss cross sections (m is the number of
ionized electrons) and the energy T(b) deposited to the projectile (positive or
negative ion) during a collision with a neutral atom at low and intermediate
collision energies as a function of the impact parameter b. The deposited
energy is calculated as a 3D-integral over the projectile coordinate space in
the classical energy-deposition model. Examples of the calculated deposited
energies, ionization probabilities and electron-loss cross sections are given
as well as the description of the input and output data.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure
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