The shape of propagating stripe domains

Abstract

Straight isolated stripe domains pinned at both ends are stable in a range of bias field from bubble stripout threshold to 4πMs, exceeding the bubble stability range at the high-field end. This makes it possible to use such domains in the guiding structures of self-structured multilayered bubble domain devices. When such domains are propagated by translating their pinned ends, they assume a curved shape determined by the balance of the domain walls’ surface tension and the viscous and inertial forces due to coercivity, dynamic damping, and effective wall mass. The wall curvature restricts the ’’track width’’ of self-structured devices using guiding stripe domains. This bound has been estimated, assuming circular deformation, in the quasi-static limit where coercivity is dominant. We have calculated the shape of a uniformly propagating stripe domain as a function of bias field, propagation velocity, coercivity, and damping parameter. The results of the calculation can be used to estimate maximum device track width for desired operating speed and dimensional tolerance, and to measure the coercivity and the damping parameter.