Underlayer dependence of electric field effect on magnetic anisotropy and its volatility in CoFeB/MgO structures

Abstract

We report the dependence of voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy (VCMA) effect and its volatility on an underlayer (UL) in CoFeB/MgO structures. For a sample with Ta or Pt UL, the VCMA effect occurs when the applied gate voltage (Vg) exceeds a critical value, and it persists even after removing Vg. This is in contrast to the volatile VCMA effect and its linear dependence on Vg in a sample with W UL. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the volatility of the VCMA effect can be modified by introducing a Ta/W bilayer, enabling arbitrary control of the magnetic properties via VCMA effect.