Abstract
Thin-film sub-5 nm magnetic skyrmions constitute an ultimate scaling alternative for future digital data storage. Skyrmions are robust noncollinear spin textures that can be moved and manipulated by small electrical currents. Here we show here a technique to detect isolated nanoskyrmions with a current perpendicular-to-plane geometry, which has immediate implications for device concepts. We explore the physics behind such a mechanism by studying the atomistic electronic structure of the magnetic quasiparticles. We investigate from first principles how the isolated skyrmion local-density-of-states which tunnels into the vacuum, when compared with the ferromagnetic background, is modified by the site-dependent spin mixing of electronic states with different relative canting angles. Local transport properties are sensitive to this effect, as we report an atomistic conductance anisotropy of up to ∼20% for magnetic skyrmions in Pd/Fe/Ir(111) thin films. In single skyrmions, engineering this spin-mixing magnetoresistance could possibly be incorporated in future magnetic storage technologies.
Highlights
Thin-film sub-5 nm magnetic skyrmions constitute an ultimate scaling alternative for future digital data storage
Regardless of defect pinning, moving from domain walls to skyrmions is attractive from a dimensional scaling point of view, as single skyrmions can be confined at will, and their shape and size controlled with an external magnetic field down to diameters o5 nm
We find a rather large atomistic conductance anisotropy of up to B20% (B10%) for magnetic skyrmions in Pd/Fe/Ir (Pd/Pd/Fe/Ir) magnetic thin films, which potentially could be detected in a realistic device exploiting a current perpendicular-toplane (CPP)-geometry
Summary
Thin-film sub-5 nm magnetic skyrmions constitute an ultimate scaling alternative for future digital data storage. In single skyrmions, engineering this spin-mixing magnetoresistance could possibly be incorporated in future magnetic storage technologies. Silicon complimentary metal-oxide–semiconductor[1] compatible magnetic devices represent the current stateof-the-art in information data storage circuits[2] In such devices, the information is encoded by manipulation of different spatial magnetic domains, and the data are read by sensing the variation in the magnetoresistance as a function of the magnetization direction[3]. Smaller current densities mean that skyrmion-based devices would dissipate less power than domain wall-based devices, and possibly meet stringent power requirements for future deeply scaled technologies[20]. Regardless of defect pinning (and power considerations), moving from domain walls to skyrmions is attractive from a dimensional scaling point of view, as single skyrmions can be confined at will, and their shape and size controlled with an external magnetic field down to diameters o5 nm (ref. 23)
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