Voltage-induced strain control of the magnetic anisotropy in a Ni thin film on flexible substrate

Voltage-induced magnetic anisotropy has been quantitatively studied in polycrystalline Ni thin film deposited on flexible substrate using microstrip ferromagnetic resonance. This anisotropy is induced by a piezoelectric actuator on which the film/substrate system was glued. In our work, the control of the anisotropy through the applied elastic strains is facilitated by the compliant elastic behavior of the substrate. The in-plane strains in the film induced by the piezoelectric actuation have been measured by the digital image correlation technique. Non-linear variation of the resonance field as function of the applied voltage is found and well reproduced by taking into account the non linear and hysteretic variations of the induced in-plane strains as function of the applied voltage. Moreover, we show that initial uniaxial anisotropy attributed to compliant substrate curvature is fully compensated by the voltage induced anisotropy.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, published in the Journal of Applied Physic

Micro-strip ferromagnetic resonance study of strain-induced anisotropy in amorphous FeCuNbSiB film on flexible substrate

The magnetic anisotropy of a FeCuNbSiB (Finemet) film deposited on Kapton has been studied by micro-strip ferromagnetic resonance technique. We have shown that the flexibility of the substrate allows a good transmission of elastic strains generated by a piezoelectric actuator. Following the resonance field angular dependence, we also demonstrate the possibility of controlling the magnetic anisotropy of the film by applying relatively small voltages to the actuator. Moreover, a suitable model taking into account the effective elastic strains measured by digital image correlation and the effective elastic coefficients measured by Brillouin light scattering, allowed to deduce the magnetostrictive coefficient. This latter was found to be positive $(\lambda=16\times10^{-6}$) and consistent with the usually reported values for bulk amorphous FeCuNbSiB.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure

Structural, static and dynamic magnetic properties of CoMnGe thin films on a sapphire a-plane substrate

Magnetic properties of CoMnGe thin films of different thicknesses (13, 34, 55, 83, 100 and 200 nm), grown by RF sputtering at 400{\deg}C on single crystal sapphire substrates, were studied using vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) and conventional or micro-strip line (MS) ferromagnetic resonance (FMR). Their behavior is described assuming a magnetic energy density showing twofold and fourfold in-plane anisotropies with some misalignment between their principal directions. For all the samples, the easy axis of the fourfold anisotropy is parallel to the c-axis of the substrate while the direction of the twofold anisotropy easy axis varies from sample to sample and seems to be strongly influenced by the growth conditions. Its direction is most probably monitored by the slight unavoidable angle of miscut the Al2O3 substrate. The twofold in-plane anisotropy field is almost temperature independent, in contrast with the fourfold field which is a decreasing function of the temperature. Finally, we study the frequency dependence of the observed line-width of the resonant mode and we conclude to a typical Gilbert damping constant of 0.0065 for the 55-nm-thick film.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, To be published (Journal of Applied Physics

Magnetic domain-wall motion study under an electric field in a Finemet thin film on flexible substrate

Influence of applied in-plane elastic strains on the static magnetic configuration of a 530 nm magnetostrictive FeCuNbSiB thin film. The in-plane strains are induced via the application of a voltage to a piezoelectric actuator on which the film/substrate system was glued. A quantitative characterization of the voltage dependence of the induced-strain at the surface of the film was performed using a digital image correlation technique. MFM images at remanence (H=0 Oe and U=0 V) clearly reveal the presence of weak stripe domains. The effect of the voltage-induced strain shows the existence of a threshold value above, which the break of the stripe configuration set in. For a maximum strain of exx~0.5*10-3 we succeed in destabilizing the stripes configuration helping the setting up of a complete homogeneous magnetic pattern.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to appear in J. Mag. Mag. Ma

La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 thin films on SrTiO3 and CaTiO3 buffered Si substrates: structural, static, and dynamic magnetic properties

International audienceNearly 50-nm thick La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) films were grown on Si substrates using molecular beam epitaxy on (001) Si substrates overlayered by a 20 nm thick SrTiO3 (STO) or by a 20 nm thick CaTiO3 (CTO) film. In addition, a reference LSMO film was directly deposited on a (001) STO substrate by pulsed laser deposition. For all the samples, X-ray diffraction revealed an excellent epitaxy of the LSMO film and small mosaicity around (001), with in-plane [100] and [010] cubic axes. The LSMO/CTO films are in-plane compressed while the LSMO/STO ones are in-plane extended. The temperature dependence of their static magnetic properties was studied using a SQUID, showing a Curie temperature overpassing 315 K for all the samples. Hysteresis loops performed at room temperature (294 K) with the help of a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) are also discussed. At 294 K Micro-strip ferromagnetic resonance (MS-FMR) was used to investigate the dynamic magnetic properties. It allows concluding to a strong anisotropy perpendicular to the films and to a weak fourfold in-plane anisotropy with easy axes along the [110] and [1 10] directions. Their values strongly depend on the studied sample and are presumably related to the strains suffered by the films

Gate-Controlled Skyrmion Chirality

Magnetic skyrmions are localized chiral spin textures, which offer great promise to store and process information at the nanoscale. In the presence of asymmetric exchange interactions, their chirality, which governs their dynamics, is generally considered as an intrinsic parameter set during the sample deposition. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate that this key parameter can be controlled by a gate voltage. We observed that the current-induced skyrmion motion can be reversed by the application of a gate voltage. This local and dynamical reversal of the skyrmion chirality is due to a sign inversion of the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction that we attribute to ionic migration of oxygen under gate voltage. Micromagnetic simulations show that the chirality reversal is a continuous transformation, in which the skyrmion is conserved. This gate-controlled chirality provides a local and dynamical degree of freedom, yielding new functionalities to skyrmion-based logic devices.Comment: 4 figure

Room temperature chiral magnetic skyrmion in ultrathin magnetic nanostructures

Magnetic skyrmions are chiral spin structures with a whirling configuration. Their topological properties, nanometer size and the fact that they can be moved by small current densities have opened a new paradigm for the manipulation of magnetisation at the nanoscale. To date, chiral skyrmion structures have been experimentally demonstrated only in bulk materials and in epitaxial ultrathin films and under external magnetic field or at low temperature. Here, we report on the observation of stable skyrmions in sputtered ultrathin Pt/Co/MgO nanostructures, at room temperature and zero applied magnetic field. We use high lateral resolution X-ray magnetic circular dichroism microscopy to image their chiral N\'eel internal structure which we explain as due to the large strength of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction as revealed by spin wave spectroscopy measurements. Our results are substantiated by micromagnetic simulations and numerical models, which allow the identification of the physical mechanisms governing the size and stability of the skyrmions.Comment: Submitted version. Extended version to appear in Nature Nanotechnolog

Etude de la dynamique hyperfréquence de l'aimantation de nanostructures magnétiques à anisotropie perpendiculaire

Co-directeur de Thèse Thibaut DevolderThis work is devoted to the theoretical and the experimental study of the fast magnetization dynamics in high perpendicular anisotropy (Co3Å/Pt6Å)6 nanostructures. I proposed to assist the magnetization switching by an in-plane exchange bias field. An analytical model was developed in the macrospin approximation. This exchange bias field reduces significantly the needed amplitude of the reversal pulse field both if the field is parallel to the exchange bias field or if it is out of the sample plane. In this latter case, direct overwrite is possible and the decrease in the reversal field can be used to increase the magnetic recording areal density in hard discs by 24%, by resorting to higher anisotropy materials. The experimental aspect contains two parts. The first part concerns the design, the microfabrication and the sample characterization. After the definition of the high frequency circuits, four technological processes for sample fabrication have been tested and compared. The microcircuits incorporate localized source of magnetic field that has the shape of either a microcoil or a coplanar waveguide. Their bandwidths vary between 14 GHz and 20 GHz. The typical generated magnetic fields by the microcoil and the coplanar waveguide are respectively 1.9 Oe/mA and 1.3 Oe/mA. Time-resolved measurements using extraordinary Hall effect were made to probe the magnetization precession induced by the in-plane pulse field. The high DC resistance of the Co/Pt multilayer rendered the detection of this signal difficult. Quasi-static magnetization switching measurements using single/train of pulses of nanosecond durations assisted by an out-of-plane static field have been done. The pulse likely induced nucleation of reverse domains in the cross. As an example, we demonstrated that pulse field of 32 mT and 10 ns can switch the magnetization in most of a 500´500 nm2 nanostructure if it is assisted by an out-of-plane static field of 22 mT.Ce mémoire est consacré à l'étude théorique et expérimentale de la dynamique rapide de l'aimantation dans des nanostructures de (Co3Å/Pt6Å)6 à forte anisotropie perpendiculaire. J'ai proposé d'assister le retournement de l'aimantation par un champ d'échange dans le plan de La nanostructure. Un modèle analytique a été développé dans l'approximation macrospin. Ce champ d'échange réduit significativement l'amplitude de l'impulsion du champ magnétique nécessaire pour le retournement, et ce à la fois si le champ appliqué est parallèle au champ d'échange ou perpendiculaire au plan de la nanostructure. Dans ce dernier cas, la ré-écriture directe est possible et la réduction du champ de retournement peut être utilisée pour augmenter de 24% la densité d'enregistrement sur disques durs en ayant recours à des matériaux à plus forte anisotropie magnétique. L'aspect expérimental comprend deux parties. La première concerne la conception, la réalisation et la caractérisation des échantillons. Après la définition des circuits hyperfréquences, quatre procédés technologiques pour leur microfabrication ont été testés et comparés. Les microcircuits incorporent une source de champ localisée, prenant la forme d'une microbobine ou d'une ligne coplanaire. Leur bande passante varie entre 14 GHz et 20 GHz. Les champs magnétiques typiques générés par la microbobine et la ligne coplanaire sont respectivement de 1.9 Oe/mA et 1.3 Oe/mA. Les mesures résolues en temps par effet Hall extraordinaire ont été réalisées pour sonder la réponse précessionnelle de l'aimantation induite l'impulsion du champ. La forte résistance DC de la multicouche Co/Pt a rendu difficile la détection de ce signal. Des mesures quasi-statiques de retournement avec une/plusieurs impulsions de durées autour de la nanoseconde assistées par un champ statique perpendiculaire ont été faites. L'impulsion du champ aide le retournement, vraisemblablement par nucléation. A titre d'exemple, il a été notamment montré qu'une impulsion de 32 mT et de durée 10 ns peut retourner l'aimantation de presque toute une nanostructure de 500´500nm2 si cette impulsion est assistée par un champ statique de 22 mT