Current-induced Magnetization Switching Research Articles

Tunnel Junction with Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy: Status and Challenges

Magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), which arises from emerging spintronics, has the potential to become the basic component of novel memory, logic circuits, and other applications. Particularly since the first demonstration of current induced magnetization switching in MTJ, spin transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM) has sparked a huge interest thanks to its non-volatility, fast access speed, and infinite endurance. However, along with the advanced nodes scaling, MTJ with in-plane magnetic anisotropy suffers from modest thermal stability, high power consumption, and manufactural challenges. To address these concerns, focus of research has converted to the preferable perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) based MTJ, whereas a number of conditions still have to be met before its practical application. This paper overviews the principles of PMA and STT, where relevant issues are preliminarily discussed. Centering on the interfacial PMA in CoFeB/MgO system, we present the fundamentals and latest progress in the engineering, material, and structural points of view. The last part illustrates potential investigations and applications with regard to MTJ with interfacial PMA.

Effect of MgO Barrier Thickness with Tilted Magnetization on Temperature Increase in Magnetic Tunnel Junction Devices during Current-Induced Magnetization Switching

Recently, there has been a growing interest in the thermal stability in magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) devices with an aspect of the temperature increment during current-induced magnetization switching (CIMS) process. In this work, the temperature increment is explored with factors of the tile of the initial magnetization direction in free layer, θ0, and the MgO layer thickness for different pulse durations, tp. The results show that the highest temperature in MTJ nanopillar is significant at the θ0 of1°-5° and the pulse duration tp < 0.4 ns. Moreover, the temperature results with decreasing the MgO layer thickness are not considerable difference at θ0 of1°-5° for the same tp.

Current induced magnetization switching in Co/Cu/Ni-Fe nanopillar with orange peel coupling

The impact of orange peel coupling on spin current induced magnetization switching in a Co/Cu/Ni-Fe nanopillar device is investigated by solving the switching dynamics of magnetization of the free layer governed by the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert-Slonczewski (LLGS) equation. The value of the critical current required to initiate the magnetization switching is calculated analytically by solving the LLGS equation and verified the same through numerical analysis. Results of numerical simulation of the LLGS equation using Runge-Kutta fourth order procedure shows that the presence of orange peel coupling between the spacer and the ferromagnetic layers reduces the switching time of the nanopillar device from 67 ps to 48 ps for an applied current density of 4 × 1012Am−2. Also, the presence of orange peel coupling reduces the critical current required to initiate switching, and in this case, from 1.65 × 1012Am−2 to 1.39 × 1012Am−2.

Current-driven asymmetric magnetization switching in perpendicularly magnetized CoFeB/MgO heterostructures

The flow of in-plane current through ultrathin magnetic heterostructures can cause magnetization switching or domain wall nucleation owing to bulk and interfacial effects. Within the magnetic layer, the current can create magnetic instabilities via spin transfer torques (STT). At interface(s), spin current generated from the spin Hall effect in a neighboring layer can exert torques, referred to as the spin Hall torques, on the magnetic moments. Here, we study current induced magnetization switching in perpendicularly magnetized CoFeB/MgO heterostructures with a heavy metal (HM) underlayer. Depending on the thickness of the HM underlayer, we find distinct differences in the inplane field dependence of the threshold switching current. The STT is likely responsible for the magnetization reversal for the thinner underlayer films whereas the spin Hall torques cause the switching for thicker underlayer films. For the latter, we find differences in the switching current for positive and negative currents and initial magnetization directions. We find that the growth process during the film deposition introduces an anisotropy that breaks the symmetry of the system and causes the asymmetric switching. The presence of such symmetry breaking anisotropy enables deterministic magnetization switching at zero external fields.

Buffer influence on magnetic dead layer, critical current, and thermal stability in magnetic tunnel junctions with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

We present a detailed study of Ta/Ru-based buffers and their influence on features crucial from the point of view of applications of Magnetic Tunnel Junctions (MTJs) such as critical switching current and thermal stability. We study buffer/FeCoB/MgO/Ta/Ru and buffer/MgO/FeCoB/Ta/Ru layers, investigating the crystallographic texture, the roughness of the buffers, the magnetic domain pattern, the magnetic dead layer thickness, and the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy fields for each sample. Additionally, we examine the effect of the current induced magnetization switching for complete nanopillar MTJs with lateral dimensions of 270 × 180 nm. Buffer Ta 5/Ru 10/Ta 3 (thicknesses in nm), which has the thickest dead layer, exhibits a much larger thermal stability factor (63 compared to 32.5) while featuring a slightly lower critical current density value (1.25 MA/cm2 compared to 1.5 MA/cm2) than the buffer with the thinnest dead layer Ta 5/Ru 20/Ta 5. We can account for these results by considering the difference in damping which compensates for the difference in the switching barrier heights.

Universal chiral-triggered magnetization switching in confined nanodots.

Spin orbit interactions are rapidly emerging as the key for enabling efficient current-controlled spintronic devices. Much work has focused on the role of spin-orbit coupling at heavy metal/ferromagnet interfaces in generating current-induced spin-orbit torques. However, the strong influence of the spin-orbit-derived Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) on spin textures in these materials is now becoming apparent. Recent reports suggest DMI-stabilized homochiral domain walls (DWs) can be driven with high efficiency by spin torque from the spin Hall effect. However, the influence of the DMI on the current-induced magnetization switching has not been explored nor is yet well-understood, due in part to the difficulty of disentangling spin torques and spin textures in nano-sized confined samples. Here we study the magnetization reversal of perpendicular magnetized ultrathin dots, and show that the switching mechanism is strongly influenced by the DMI, which promotes a universal chiral non-uniform reversal, even for small samples at the nanoscale. We show that ultrafast current-induced and field-induced magnetization switching consists on local magnetization reversal with domain wall nucleation followed by its propagation along the sample. These findings, not seen in conventional materials, provide essential insights for understanding and exploiting chiral magnetism for emerging spintronics applications.

Current-induced spin-orbit torque switching of perpendicularly magnetized Hf|CoFeB|MgO and Hf|CoFeB|TaOx structures

We study the effect of the oxide layer on current-induced perpendicular magnetization switching properties in Hf|CoFeB|MgO and Hf|CoFeB|TaOx tri-layers. The studied structures exhibit broken in-plane inversion symmetry due to a wedged CoFeB layer, resulting in a field-like spin-orbit torque (SOT), which can be quantified by a perpendicular (out-of-plane) effective magnetic field. A clear difference in the magnitude of this effective magnetic field (HzFL) was observed between these two structures. In particular, while the current-driven deterministic perpendicular magnetic switching was observed at zero magnetic bias field in Hf|CoFeB|MgO, an external magnetic field is necessary to switch the CoFeB layer deterministically in Hf|CoFeB|TaOx. Based on the experimental results, the SOT magnitude (HzFL per current density) in Hf|CoFeB|MgO (−14.12 Oe/107 A cm−2) was found to be almost 13× larger than that in Hf|CoFeB|TaOx (−1.05 Oe/107 A cm−2). The CoFeB thickness dependence of the magnetic switching behavior, and the resulting HzFL generated by in-plane currents are also investigated in this work.

Spin Hall switching of the magnetization in Ta/TbFeCo structures with bulk perpendicular anisotropy

Spin-orbit torques are studied in Ta/TbFeCo/MgO patterned structures, where the ferrimagnetic material TbFeCo provides a strong bulk perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (bulk-PMA) independent of the interfaces. The current-induced magnetization switching in TbFeCo is investigated in the presence of a perpendicular, longitudinal, or transverse field. An unexpected partial-switching phenomenon is observed in the presence of a transverse field unique to our bulk-PMA material. It is found that the anti-damping torque related with spin Hall effect is very strong, and a spin Hall angle is determined to be 0.12. The field-like torque related with Rashba effect is unobservable, suggesting that the interface play a significant role in Rashba-like torque.

Reducing the switching current with a Gilbert damping constant in nanomagnets with perpendicular anisotropy

We report on current-induced magnetization switching in a nanomagnet with perpendicular anisotropy, and investigate the effects of the damping constant (α) on the switching current (Isw) by varying the nanosecond-scale pulse current duration (tp), the saturation magnetization (Ms), and the magnetocrystalline anisotropy (Ku). The results show that reduction of α below a certain threshold (αc) is ineffective in reducing Isw for short tp. When tp is short, it is necessary to reduce both α and Ms simultaneously until αc is reached to reduce Isw. The results presented here offer a promising route for the design of ultrafast information storage and logic devices using current-induced magnetization switching.

Spin-Transfer Torque Switching in Nanopillar Superconducting-Magnetic Hybrid Josephson Junctions

The combination of superconducting and magnetic materials to create novel superconducting devices has been motivated by the discovery of Josephson critical current (Ics) oscillations as a function of magnetic layer thickness and the demonstration of devices with switchable critical currents. However, none of the hybrid devices have shown any spintronic effects, such as spin-transfer torque, which are currently used in room-temperature magnetic devices, including spin-transfer torque random-access memory and spin-torque nano-oscillators. We have developed nanopillar Josephson junctions with a minimum feature size of 50 nm and magnetic barriers exhibiting magnetic pseudo-spin-valve behavior at 4 K. These devices allow current-induced magnetization switching that results in 20-fold changes in Ics. The current-induced magnetic switching is consistent with spin-transfer torque models for room-temperature magnetic devices. Our work demonstrates that devices that combine superconducting and spintronic functions show promise for the development of a nanoscale, nonvolatile, cryogenic memory technology.

Spin orbital torque driven magnetization switching in magnetic tunnel junction with inter-layer exchange coupling

The switching processes of elliptically shaped magnetic tunnel junction bits with the structure Ta/CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB have been studied by the micromagnetic models. By comparing the tunneling magneto-resistance minor and major loops calculated by our model with related experimental results, we found that the inter-layer exchange coupling between the two CoFeB layers and a reduced saturation magnetization Ms distribution at the edge of the elliptical bit should be included. The chosen strength of the inter-layer exchange coupling also matches well with experimental observations. The current induced magnetization switching is generated from the spin Hall effect in the Ta layer. The critical switching currents calculated by our model are coincident with experiment. This shows the reliability of our micromagnetic model with the spin orbital torque term.

Current-induced magnetic switching of a single molecule magnet on a spin valve

The current-induced magnetic switching of a single-molecule magnet (SMM) attached on the central region of a spin valve is explored, and the condition for the switching current is derived. Electrons flowing through the spin valve will interact with the SMM via the s–d exchange interaction, producing the spin accumulation that satisfies the spin diffusion equation. We further describe the spin motion of the SMM by a Heisenberg-like equation. Based on the linear stability analysis, we obtain the critical current from two coupled equations. The results of the critical current versus the external magnetic field indicate that one can manipulate the magnetic state of the SMM by an external magnetic field. • We theoretically study the current-induced magnetic switching of the SMM. • We describe the spin motion of the SMM by a Heisenberg-like equation. • We describe the spin accumulation by the spin diffusion equation. • We obtain the critical current by the linear stability analysis. • Our approach can be easily extended to other SMMs.

Current-induced magnetization switching at low current densities in current-perpendicular-to-plane structural Fe<sub>3</sub>Si/FeSi<sub>2</sub> artificial lattices with various cross-sectional areas

Current-induced magnetization switching at low current densities in current-perpendicular-to-plane structural Fe<sub>3</sub>Si/FeSi<sub>2</sub> artificial lattices with various cross-sectional areas

Backhopping in magnetic tunnel junctions: Micromagnetic approach and experiment

Abstract Micromagnetic simulations of Current Induced Magnetization Switching (CIMS) loops in CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB exchange-biased Magnetic Tunnel Junctions (MTJ) are discussed. Our model uses the Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equation with the Slonczewski׳s Spin-Transfer-Torque (STT) component. The current density for STT is calculated from the applied bias voltage and tunnel magnetoresistance which depends on the local magnetization vectors arrangement. We take into account the change in the anti-parallel state resistance with increasing bias voltage. Using such model we investigate influence of the interlayer exchange coupling, between free and reference layers across the barrier, on the backhopping effect in anti-parallel to parallel switching. We compare our simulated CIMS loops with the experimental data obtained from MTJs with different MgO barrier thicknesses.

Joule Heating and Peltier Effects in Thermoelectric Spin-Transfer Torque Mram Devices Using Finite Element Modeling

This paper reports the Joule heating and Peltier effects in thermoelectric spin-transfer torque MRAMs (TSTT-MRAMs). The simulation was undertaken based on the current-induced magnetization switching at the MgO/CoFe magnetic tunnel junction. Thermal and heat flux distributions of the TSTT-MRAM cells were simulated and analyzed using finite-element modeling. The Joule heating and Peltier effects lead to the increases in the temperature and heat flux distributions at the magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) as well as the thermoelectric module. The maximum temperature of Peltier effect is higher than Joule heating effect when voltage amplitude below 0.77V. Some practical data for the STT-MRAM were also reported.

Magnetization switching through giant spin-orbit torque in a magnetically doped topological insulator heterostructure.

Recent demonstrations of magnetization switching induced by in-plane current in heavy metal/ferromagnetic heterostructures (HMFHs) have drawn great attention to spin torques arising from large spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Given the intrinsic strong SOC, topological insulators (TIs) are expected to be promising candidates for exploring spin-orbit torque (SOT)-related physics. Here we demonstrate experimentally the magnetization switching through giant SOT induced by an in-plane current in a chromium-doped TI bilayer heterostructure. The critical current density required for switching is below 8.9 × 10(4) A cm(-2) at 1.9 K. Moreover, the SOT is calibrated by measuring the effective spin-orbit field using second-harmonic methods. The effective field to current ratio and the spin-Hall angle tangent are almost three orders of magnitude larger than those reported for HMFHs. The giant SOT and efficient current-induced magnetization switching exhibited by the bilayer heterostructure may lead to innovative spintronics applications such as ultralow power dissipation memory and logic devices.

Modelling current-induced magnetization switching in Heusler alloy Co2FeAl-based spin-valve nanopillar

We investigated the current-induced magnetization switching in a Heusler alloy Co2FeAl-based spin-valve nanopillar by using micromagnetic simulations. We demonstrated that the elimination of the intermediate state is originally resulted from the decease of effective magnetic anisotropy constant. The magnetization switching can be achieved at a small current density of 1.0 × 104 A/cm2 by increasing the demagnetization factors of x and y axes. Based on our simulation, we found magnetic anisotropy and demagnetization energies have different contributions to the magnetization switching.

Asymmetric behavior of current-induced magnetization switching in a magnetic tunnel junction: Non-equilibrium first-principles calculations

We investigated the microscopic mechanisms of current-induced magnetization switching (CIMS) in an Fe/MgO(001)/Fe/Ta magnetic tunnel junction using non-equilibrium first-principles calculations. We found that the change in the magnetization configuration from antiparallel (AP) to parallel (P) can be realized with a lower electrical power than that from P to AP. From detailed analyses of the density of states subject to a finite bias voltage, we clarified that the asymmetric behavior originates from the difference in the electron scattering processes between switching directions.

Chiral magnetization textures stabilized by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction during spin-orbit torque switching

We study the effect of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) on current-induced magnetic switching of a perpendicularly magnetized heavy-metal/ferromagnet/oxide trilayer both experimentally and through micromagnetic simulations. We report the generation of stable helical magnetization stripes for a sufficiently large DMI strength in the switching region, giving rise to intermediate states in the magnetization confirming the essential role of the DMI on switching processes. We compare the simulation and experimental results to a macrospin model, showing the need for a micromagnetic approach. The influence of the temperature on the switching is also discussed.

Current-induced magnetization switching at low current densities in current-perpendicular-to-plane structural Fe3Si/FeSi2 artificial lattices

Current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) junctions of Fe3Si/FeSi2 were fabricated from Fe3Si/FeSi2 artificial lattice films, which were prepared by facing-target direct-current sputtering, by employing a focused ion beam (FIB) technique. CPP structurization was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. The CPP junctions, in which antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling is induced between the Fe3Si layers, exhibited a clear hysteresis loop in the electrical resistance for current injection, which is probably due to current-induced magnetization switching. The critical current density for it is approximately 3.3 × 101 A/cm2, which is at least four orders smaller than the values that have ever been reported.