Thermal rounding of the depinning transition in ultrathin Pt/Co/Pt films

We perform a scaling analysis of the mean velocity of extended magnetic domain walls driven in ultrathin Pt/Co/Pt ferromagnetic films with perpendicular anisotropy, as a function of the applied external field for different film-thicknesses. We find that the scaling of the experimental data around the thermally rounded depinning transition is consistent with the universal depinning exponents theoretically expected for elastic interfaces described by the one-dimensional quenched Edwards-Wilkinson equation. In particular, values for the depinning exponent $\beta$ and thermal rounding exponent $\psi$ are tested and the present analysis of the experimental data is compatible with $\beta=0.33$ and $\psi=0.2$, in agreement with numerical simulations.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

Magnetic Properties of Epitaxial and Polycrystalline Fe/Si Multilayers

Fe/Si multilayers with antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling have been grown via ion-beam sputtering on both glass and single-crystal substrates. High-angle x-ray diffraction measurements show that both sets of films have narrow Fe peaks, implying a large crystallite size and crystalline iron silicide spacer layers. Low-angle x-ray diffraction measurements show that films grown on glass have rougher interfaces than those grown on single-crystal substrates. The multilayers grown on glass have a larger remanent magnetization than the multilayers grown on single-crystal substrates. The observation of magnetocrystalline anisotropy in hysteresis loops and $(hkl)$ peaks in x-ray diffraction demonstrates that the films grown on MgO and Ge are epitaxial. The smaller remanent magnetization in Fe/Si multilayers with better layering suggests that the remanence is not an intrinsic property.Comment: 9 pages, RevTex, 4 figures available by fax. Send email to [email protected] for more info. Submitted to '95 MMM proceeding

Currents, Torques, and Polarization Factors in Magnetic Tunnel Junctions

Application of Bardeen's tunneling theory to magnetic tunnel junctions having a general degree of atomic disorder reveals the close relationship between magneto-conduction and voltage-driven pseudo-torque, as well as the thickness dependence of tunnel-polarization factors. Among the results: 1) The torque generally varies as sin theta at constant applied voltage. 2) Whenever polarization factors are well defined, the voltage-driven torque on each moment is uniquely proportional to the polarization factor of the other magnet. 3) At finite applied voltage, this relation predicts significant voltage-asymmetry in the torque. For one sign of voltage the torque remains substantial even when the magnetoconductance is greatly diminished. 4) A broadly defined junction model, called ideal middle, allows for atomic disorder within the magnets and F/I interface regions. In this model, the spin dependence of a state-weighting factor proportional to the sum over general state index of evaluated within the (e.g. vacuum) barrier generalizes the local state density in previous theories of the tunnel-polarization factor. 5) For small applied voltage, tunnel-polarization factors remain legitimate up to first order in the inverse thickness of the ideal middle. An algebraic formula describes the first-order corrections to polarization factors in terms of newly defined lateral auto-correllation scales.Comment: This version no. 3 is thoroughly revised for clarity. Just a few notations and equations are changed, and references completed. No change in results. 17 pages including 4 figure

Current driven switching of magnetic layers

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 dependence of the switching process, we derive a set of coupled Landau-Lifshitz equations for the ferromagnetic layers. Higher order terms in the non-equilibrium exchange coupling allow the system to evolve to its steady-state configuration.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure. Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Reduction of the Three Dimensional Schrodinger Equation for Multilayered Films

In this paper, we present a method for reducing the three dimensional Schrodinger equation to study confined metallic states, such as quantum well states, in a multilayer film geometry. While discussing some approximations that are employed when dealing with the three dimensionality of the problem, we derive a one dimensional equation suitable for studying such states using an envelope function approach. Some applications to the Cu/Co multilayer system with regard to spin tunneling/rotations and angle resolved photoemission are discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figur

Magnetic exchange interaction induced by a Josephson current

We show that a Josephson current flowing through a ferromagnet-normal-metal-ferromagnet trilayer connected to two superconducting electrodes induces an equilibrium exchange interaction between the magnetic moments of the ferromagnetic layers. The sign and magnitude of the interaction can be controlled by the phase difference between the order parameters of the two superconductors. We present a general framework to calculate the Josephson current induced magnetic exchange interaction in terms of the scattering matrices of the different layers. The effect should be observable as the periodic switching of the relative orientation of the magnetic moments of the ferromagnetic layers in the ac Josephson effect.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure

Mechanisms of spin-polarized current-driven magnetization switching

The mechanisms of the magnetization switching of magnetic multilayers driven by a current are studied by including exchange interaction between local moments and spin accumulation of conduction electrons. It is found that this exchange interaction leads to two additional terms in the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation: an effective field and a spin torque. Both terms are proportional to the transverse spin accumulation and have comparable magnitudes

Magnetization relaxation in (Ga,Mn)As ferromagnetic semiconductors

We describe a theory of Mn local-moment magnetization relaxation due to p-d kinetic-exchange coupling with the itinerant-spin subsystem in the ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As alloy. The theoretical Gilbert damping coefficient implied by this mechanism is calculated as a function of Mn moment density, hole concentration, and quasiparticle lifetime. Comparison with experimental ferromagnetic resonance data suggests that in annealed strongly metallic samples, p-d coupling contributes significantly to the damping rate of the magnetization precession at low temperatures. By combining the theoretical Gilbert coefficient with the values of the magnetic anisotropy energy, we estimate that the typical critical current for spin-transfer magnetization switching in all-semiconductor trilayer devices can be as low as $\sim 10^{5} {\rm A cm}^{-2}$.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Rapid Communication

Dynamic exchange coupling and Gilbert damping in magnetic multilayers

We theoretically study dynamic properties of thin ferromagnetic films in contact with normal metals. Moving magnetizations cause a flow of spins into adjacent conductors, which relax by spin flip, scatter back into the ferromagnet, or are absorbed by another ferromagnet. Relaxation of spins outside the moving magnetization enhances the overall damping of the magnetization dynamics in accordance with the Gilbert phenomenology. Transfer of spins between different ferromagnets by these nonequilibrium spin currents leads to a long-ranged dynamic exchange interaction and novel collective excitation modes. Our predictions agree well with recent ferromagnetic-resonance experiments on ultrathin magnetic films.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, for MMM'02 proceeding

A self-consistent treatment of non-equilibrium spin torques in magnetic multilayers

It is known that the transfer of spin angular momenta between current carriers and local moments occurs near the interface of magnetic layers when their moments are non-collinear. However, to determine the magnitude of the transfer, one should calculate the spin transport properties far beyond the interface regions. Based on the spin diffusion equation, we present a self-consistent approach to evaluate the spin torque for a number of layered structures. One of the salient features is that the longitudinal and transverse components of spin accumulations are inter-twined from one layer to the next, and thus, the spin torque could be significantly amplified with respect to treatments which concentrate solely on the transport at the interface due to the presence of the much longer longitudinal spin diffusion length. We conclude that bare spin currents do not properly estimate the spin angular momentum transferred between to the magnetic background; the spin transfer that occurs at interfaces should be self-consistently determined by embedding it in our globally diffuse transport calculations.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figure