Magnetic Racetrack Research Articles

Magnetic vortex racetrack memory

We report a new type of racetrack memory based on current-controlled movement of magnetic vortices in magnetic nanowires with rectangular cross-section and weak perpendicular anisotropy. Data are stored through the core polarity of vortices and each vortex carries a data bit. Besides high density, non-volatility, fast data access, and low power as offered by domain wall racetrack memory, magnetic vortex racetrack memory has additional advantages of no need for constrictions to define data bits, changeable information density, adjustable current magnitude for data propagation, and versatile means of ultrafast vortex core switching. By using micromagnetic simulations, current-controlled motion of magnetic vortices in cobalt nanowire is demonstrated for racetrack memory applications.

Skyrmion domain wall collision and domain wall-gated skyrmion logic

Skyrmions and domain walls are typical spin textures of significant technological relevance to magnetic memory and logic applications, where they are used as carriers of information. The unique topology of skyrmions makes them to display distinct dynamical properties compared to domain walls. Some studies have demonstrated that the two topologically inequivalent magnetic objects could be interconverted by cleverly designed geometric structures. Here, we numerically address the skyrmion-domain wall collision in a magnetic racetrack by introducing relative motion between the two objects based on a specially designed junction. An electric current serves as the driving force that moves a skyrmion toward a trapped domain-wall pair. We observe different types of collision dynamics by changing the driving parameters. Most importantly, the domain wall modulation of skyrmion transport is realized in this system, allowing a set of domain wall-gated logical NOT, NAND, and NOR gates to be constructed. By providing a promising logic architecture that is fully compatible with racetrack memories, this work is expected to speed up the development of skyrmion-based magnetic computation.

Synthesis of highly tetrahedral amorphous carbon by mixed-mode HiPIMS sputtering

Tetrahedral amorphous carbon films with an sp3 content of 80% have been produced by high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) operating in a mixed sputtering/arc mode. In this mode, short-lived cathode spots form in the magnetic racetrack and produce large numbers of carbon ions. The spots move rapidly, inhibiting the formation of macroparticles. An argon pressure below 2.5 mTorr was critical for obtaining films with high sp3 content, high stress, large Tauc gap and symmetrical Raman spectra, and all four quantities were strongly correlated.

Current-driven dynamics of skyrmions stabilized in MnSi nanowires revealed by topological Hall effect.

Skyrmions hold promise for next-generation magnetic storage as their nanoscale dimensions may enable high information storage density and their low threshold for current-driven motion may enable ultra-low energy consumption. Skyrmion-hosting nanowires not only serve as a natural platform for magnetic racetrack memory devices but also stabilize skyrmions. Here we use the topological Hall effect (THE) to study phase stability and current-driven dynamics of skyrmions in MnSi nanowires. THE is observed in an extended magnetic field-temperature window (15–30 K), suggesting stabilization of skyrmions in nanowires compared with the bulk. Furthermore, we show in nanowires that under the high current density of 108–109 A m−2, the THE decreases with increasing current densities, which demonstrates the current-driven motion of skyrmions generating the emergent electric field in the extended skyrmion phase region. These results open up the exploration of skyrmions in nanowires for fundamental physics and magnetic storage technologies.

Analysis of Three-Dimensional Magnetic Domain Wall Racetrack Memory

An overview of magnetic racetrack operation and components necessary to successfully realize this memory technology is presented. Fundamental physical concepts of adiabatic and non-adiabatic spin-torque transfer is presented and used to explain how bits of information are read, written, and pushed through ferromagnetic racetracks. Recent developments in the controlled movement of domain walls in magnetic nanowires by short pulses of spinpolarized current give promise of a nonvolatile memory device with the high performance and reliability of conventional solid-state memory but at the low cost of conventional magnetic disk drive storage. Resonant amplification of spin-torque transfer via pulsed current operation has been proposed to overcome issues with current density. The racetrack memory comprises an array of magnetic nanowires arranged horizontally or vertically on a silicon chip. Individual spintronics reading and writing nanodevices are used to modify or read a train of ~10 to 100 domain walls, which store a series of data bits in each nanowire. This racetrack memory is an example of the move toward innately three-dimensional microelectronic devices.

All-optical investigation of tunable picosecond magnetization dynamics in ferromagnetic nanostripes with a width down to 50 nm.

Ferromagnetic nanostripes are important elements for a number of interesting technologies including magnetic racetrack memory, spin logic and magnonics. Understanding and controlling magnetization dynamics in such nanostripes are hence important problems in nanoscience and technology. Here we present an all-optical excitation and detection of ultrafast magnetization dynamics, including spin waves, in 5 μm long Ni80Fe20 nanostripes with varying stripe widths from 200 nm down to 50 nm. We observed a strong width dependent variation in the frequency, anisotropy and the spatial nature of spin waves in these systems. The effect of inter-stripe interaction is also studied and the 50 nm wide stripe is found to be nearly magnetostatically isolated, allowing us to detect the dynamics of a 50 nm wide individual stripe using an all-optical measurement technique. The tunability in magnetization dynamics with stripe widths is important for their applications in various spin based technologies.

Magnetic Microstructure of Rolled‐Up Single‐Layer Ferromagnetic Nanomembranes

The magnetic microstructure of rolled-up magnetic nanomembranes is revealed both theoretically and experimentally. Two types of nanomembranes are considered, one with a non-magnetic spacer layer and the other without. Experimentally, by using different materials and tuning the dimensions of the rolled-up nanomembranes, domain patterns consisting of spiral-like and azimuthally magnetized domains are observed, which are in qualitative agreement with the theoretical predictions.

Nanowire arrays, surface anisotropy, magnetoelastic effects and spintronics

Resonance field Hres variation obtained from ferromagnetic resonance measurements performed versus field angle on ferromagnetic nickel nanowire arrays with different diameters (15 nm to 100 nm) and with temperature varying from liquid helium (4.2 K) to room value indicate presence of large surface anisotropy for small diameter (<50 nm) and strong magnetoelastic effects for all diameters. Extracting this information from temperature variation of anisotropy terms allows us to infer that magnetoelastic behavior versus temperature and nanowire diameter might have important implications for the design of nanowire based spintronic devices such as magnetic racetrack memory, logic and storage media, and devices.

Reduction of magnetostatic interactions in self-organized arrays of nickel nanowires using atomic layer deposition

Ordered arrays of magnetic nanowires are commonly synthesized by electrodeposition in nanoporous alumina templates. Due to their dense packing, strong magnetostatic interactions prevent the manipulation of wires individually. Using atomic layer deposition we reduce the diameter of the pores prior to electrodeposition. This reduces magnetostatic interactions, yielding fully remanent hysteresis loops. This is a first step toward the use of such arrays for magnetic racetrack memories.

Control of magnetic anisotropy field of (001) oriented L10-Fe(PdxPt1−x) films for MRAM application

L10-Fe(Pd,Pt) films which are expected to have tunable perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and lower ordering temperature compared with the L10-FePt films were fabricated and investigated in order to realize high-performance Magnetic Random Access Memory (MRAM) with spin-transfer magnetization switching method and Magnetic Domain-Wall Racetrack Memory with current-driven domain wall motion. The main results are as follows: (1) The long-range chemical order degree S for the L10-Fe(Pd,Pt) films with the optimized thermal treatment temperature fabricated on MgO(001) substrate was about 0.8. (2) The perpendicular coercive force and magnetic anisotropy field for the L10-FePd film with the thermal treatment temperature of 600 °C were 300 Oe and 14 kOe respectively, whereas the L10-FePt film with the thermal treatment temperature of 800 °C were 2000 Oe and 102 kOe, respectively. (3) The optimized ordering temperature to obtain L10 single phase decreased continuously from 800°C to 600°C with the increasing Pd content for the Fe(Pd,Pt) films. (4) The perpendicular magnetic anisotropy field for the L10-Fe(Pd,Pt) films decreased continuously from 102 kOe to 14 kOe with the increasing Pd content. It is found that the Fe(Pd,Pd) films which have tunable perpendicular magnetic anisotropy field is one of suitable ferromagnetic material for high-performance magnetic recording devices.

Enhanced stochasticity of domain wall motion in magnetic racetracks due to dynamic pinning

Understanding the details of domain wall (DW) motion along magnetic racetracks has drawn considerable interest in the past few years for their applications in non-volatile memory devices. The propagation of the DW is dictated by the interplay between its driving force, either field or current, and the complex energy landscape of the racetrack. In this study, we use spin-valve nanowires to study field-driven DW motion in real time. By varying the strength of the driving magnetic field, the propagation mode of the DW can be changed from a simple translational mode to a more complex precessional mode. Interestingly, the DW motion becomes much more stochastic at the onset of this propagation mode. We show that this unexpected result is a consequence of an unsustainable gain in Zeeman energy of the DW, as it is driven faster by the magnetic field. As a result, the DW periodically releases energy and thereby becomes more susceptible to pinning by local imperfections in the racetrack.

Breather states in magnetic domain wall racetrack memory samples

Magnetic domain wall racetrack memory samples allow for the controlled motion of isolated magnetic domain walls in a quasi one-dimensional geometry. Here we consider the possibility of the dynamical formation of bound states of domain walls that can be prepared via a suitably chosen external field. Upon switching off the external field, these domain walls oscillate around their common center of mass, with a frequency depending on the relative initial handedness of the domain wall. Such breather states may be observed by detecting the resulting magnetization oscillations.

Current-Controlled Magnetic Domain-Wall Nanowire Shift Register

The controlled motion of a series of domain walls along magnetic nanowires using spin-polarized current pulses is the essential ingredient of the proposed magnetic racetrack memory, a new class of potential non-volatile storage-class memories. Using permalloy nanowires, we achieved the successive creation, motion, and detection of domain walls by using sequences of properly timed, nanosecond-long, spin-polarized current pulses. The cycle time for the writing and shifting of the domain walls was a few tens of nanoseconds. Our results illustrate the basic concept of a magnetic shift register that relies on the phenomenon of spin-momentum transfer to move series of closely spaced domain walls.

MAGNETIC RACE-TRACK — A NOVEL STORAGE CLASS SPINTRONIC MEMORY

A proposal for a novel storage-class memory is described in which magnetic domains are used to store information in a "magnetic race-track".1 The magnetic race-track shift register storage memory promises a solid state memory with storage capacities and cost rivaling that of magnetic disk drives but with much improved performance and reliability. The magnetic race track is comprised of tall columns of magnetic material arranged perpendicularly to the surface of a silicon wafer. The domains are moved up and down the race-track by nanosecond long current pulses using the phenomenon of spin momentum transfer. The domain walls in the magnetic race-track are read using magnetic tunnel junction magnetoresistive sensing devices arranged in the silicon substrate. Recent progress in developing magnetic tunnel junction devices with giant tunneling magnetoresistance exceeding 350% at room temperature will be mentioned.2 Experiments exploring the current induced motion and depinning of domain walls in magnetic nano-wires with artificial pinning sites will be discussed. The domain wall structure, whether vortex or transverse, and the magnitude of the pinning potential is shown to have surprisingly little effect on the current driven dynamics of the domain wall motion.3 By contrast the motion of DWs under nanosecond long current pulses is surprisingly sensitive to their length.4 In particular, we find that the probability of dislodging a DW, confined to a pinning site in a permalloy nanowire, oscillates with the length of the current pulse, with a period of just a few nanoseconds. Using an analytical model and micromagnetic simulations we show that this behaviour is connected to a current induced oscillatory motion of the DW. The period is determined by the DW mass and the curvature of the confining potential. When the current is turned off during phases of the DW motion when the DW has enough momentum, there is a boomerang effect that can drive the DW out of the confining potential in the opposite direction to the flow of spin angular momentum. Note from Publisher: This article contains the abstract only.