Magnetization Reversal Mechanism Research Articles

Antiferromagnetic fourfold anisotropy induced exchange bias and magnetization reversal behaviors in CoFeB/IrMn bilayers

Bilayers of an amorphous CoFeB ferromagnet coupled to an epitaxially grown IrMn antiferromagnet, whose anisotropy is fourfold symmetric, are modeled to study the angular (φ) dependence of magnetization reversal mechanism and exchange bias behavior, based on a modified Monte Carlo method. It is found that positive and negative exchange-bias field (HE) maximum values appear in the antiferromagnetic easy-axis directions, and the HE zero-value transition/return points exist in the antiferromagnetic hard-axis directions. Furthermore, the value of HE(φ) is well fitted by considering cos3φ/sin3φ terms with larger or comparable coefficients as compared to the first-order terms in the Fourier expansion. Finally, the microscopic spin configuration results evidence these phenomena originating from the tailoring of antiferromagnetic spins by simply rotating the field-cooling direction between antiferromagnetic easy- and hard-axis directions. We open an exchange-bias mode governed by antiferromagnetic fourfold anisotropy and propose a method to precisely detect antiferromagnetic higher-order anisotropies on an exchange-bias support.

Magnetization reversal and coercivity mechanism in truncated conical nanowires of permalloy

Magnetization reversal and coercivity mechanism in truncated conical nanowires of permalloy

Static and Dynamic Magnetic Properties of Fe3O4 Nanotubes

In this paper, our objective was to investigate the static and dynamic magnetic properties of Fe3O4 nanotubes that are 1000 nm long, by varying the external radius and the thickness of the tube wall. We performed a detailed numerical analysis by simulating hysteresis curves with an external magnetic field applied parallel to the axis of the tubes (along the z-axis). Our findings indicate that nanotubes with an external radius of 30 nm exhibit non-monotonic behavior in their coercivity due to a change in the magnetization reversal mechanism, which was not observed in nanotubes with external radii of 80 nm. Additionally, we explored the dynamic susceptibility of these nanotubes and found that the position and number of resonance peaks can be controlled by manipulating the nanotube geometry. Overall, our study provides valuable insights into the behavior of Fe3O4 nanotubes, which can aid in the design and improvement in pseudo-one-dimensional technological devices.

Analysis of the magnetization reversal mechanism of heterogenous grain boundary diffused Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets

The grain boundary diffusion (GBD) method could effectively improve the coercivity of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets, but the uneven distribution of heave rare earth (HRE) elements would lead to the decrease of squareness factor of the demagnetization curve of the magnets, which limited the application of this method. In this paper, three typical-structure regions were summarized based on microstructure characterization, and the magnetic properties and magnetization reversal mechanism were analyzed. The differences in nucleation positions and magnetization reversal processes of the three regions were discussed, and it found that the remarkable differences among them resulted in the low squareness factor of GBD Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets. In addition, the efficiency of Tb elements could be further improved to enhance the coercivity of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets by forming homogeneous and complete core-shell structure grains, which could strengthen the nucleation field and even transfer the nucleation position from the grain surface defect layer to the grain interior region. Our results could provide guidance and reference for further improving the permanent magnetic properties of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets by optimized GBD method.

Magnetic Behavior of the Arrays of Iron Cylindrical Nanostructures: Atomistic Spin Model Simulations

Cylindrical ferromagnetic nanowires are of particular interest in nanomaterials science due to various manufacturing methods and a wide range of applications in nanotechnology, with special attention given to those with diameters less than the single domain limit. In the current study, the simulations of magnetic properties of isolated iron nanowires with a diameter of 5 nm and various aspect ratios, as well as two types of arrays of such nanowires (with hexagonal and square arrangement), were performed using atomistic spin model. In the case of a single nanowire, change of coercive field for different applied field directions with aspect ratio was discussed. It was shown that the evolution of the magnetization reversal mechanism from coherent rotation to domain wall propagation appears with increasing length of single nanowire. For the arrays of cylindrical nanostructures, it was revealed that different number of nearest neighbors for each nanostructure in square and hexagonal arrays have an influence on their magnetostatic interactions, which are the most significant for shortest interwire distances. The corresponding spin configurations during the remagnetization process showed the appearance of intermediate magnetization states (when a part of wires is magnetized parallel and part antiparallel to the field direction), connected with Barkhausen effect, which influence the observed hysteresis curves.

Micromagnetic Study of the Dependence of Output Voltages and Magnetization Behaviors on Damping Constant, Frequency, and Wire Length for a Gigahertz Spin Rotation Sensor.

In this report, we studied the dependence of output voltage on the damping constant, the frequency of the pulse current, and the wire length of zero-magnetostriction CoFeBSi wires using multiphysics simulation considering eddy currents in micromagnetic simulations. The magnetization reversal mechanism in the wires was also investigated. As a result, we found that a high output voltage can be achieved with a damping constant of ≥0.03. We also found that the output voltage increases up to a pulse current of 3 GHz. The longer the wire length, the lower the external magnetic field at which the output voltage peaks. This is because the demagnetization field from the axial ends of the wire is weaker as the wire length is longer.

The Effect of Milling with Combined Surfactants on the Magnetic Properties and Microstructure of Submicron Sm2Fe17N3 Powders

The results of the application of a combination of several surfactants in preparing submicron hard magnetic Sm2Fe17N3 powders by milling in a centrifugal mill are reported. Along with methyl caproate, to protect the powder against oxidation, the efficiency of siloxane has been studied. The application of the combined surfactants allowed us to increase both the (BH)max of the Sm2Fe17N3 powder to 23.6 MG Oe and its corrosion resistance. The effect of milling kinetics on the angular dependence of the coercive force Hc has been determined. Information on the primary mechanism of magnetization reversal of the powders has beenobtained.

Magnetization reversal mechanisms in highly corrugated thin films

Nanopatterned ferromagnetic (FM) thin films have specific characteristics that make them a workhorse for sensors based on magnonic, magnetoplasmonic, or anisotropic magneto-resistive effects. Undulated FM thin films have been studied because of their tunable uniaxial anisotropy. They have been traditionally understood by means of Schlömann's model taking account of shape-induced magnetic anisotropies in softly corrugated systems. Here, we show how it cannot describe accurately the magnetic behavior of highly corrugated FM systems within a thickness region of less than the ripple amplitude. We report on the magnetization reversal processes detected in Permalloy films deposited onto highly corrugated patterns (250 nm in periodicity, 180 nm in amplitude) in a wide thickness range (15–150 nm), finding both that the anisotropy of the system does not correspond to a uniaxial type for FM thicknesses larger than 40 nm and that the anisotropy of the system increases with the FM thickness. Based on the results, we hypothesize that whereas Schlömann's model is valid for softly corrugated thin films, it fails to explain magnetization reversal processes of highly corrugated thin films, especially when the ripple amplitude is much greater than the deposited FM layer thickness. By means of micromagnetic simulations, we find an increment of anisotropy with thickness, just as in the experimental, as well as determine the arise of magnetic domains at the ridges of high thickness corrugated FM thin films. This approach will help to get a better understanding of operating mechanisms in magnetic field sensors based on undulated ferromagnetic materials.

Understanding magnetic interactions and reversal mechanisms in a spinodally decomposed cobalt ferrite using first order reversal curves

Cobalt ferrites exhibit widely varied magnetic behaviour due to the presence of a miscibility gap leading to the formation of periodic self-assembled nanostructures via spinodal decomposition. Periodicity and amplitude of the compositional fluctuations can be controlled by thermodynamic and kinetic processing parameters which allows for careful tuning of the magnetic properties. Although reports have shown evidence of spinodal decomposition, there is a lack of detailed characterization of the magnetic interactions and reversal mechanisms in these materials. In this work we use high-resolution first order reversal curves (FORC) measurements to understand the underlying magnetic processes occurring in a cobalt ferrite with a nominal composition of Co1.8Fe1.2O4 before (calcined) and after spinodal decomposition (annealed). Additionally, FORC measurements with preconditioning fields were conducted to separate the interaction signatures at low coercive fields by biasing the sample in positive and negative mean fields. Microstructural characterization using TEM combined with EDS showed uniform chemistry in the calcined sample and the presence of Fe rich and Co rich regions in the annealed sample, due to spinodal decomposition. Signs of positive exchange interactions were observed in both calcined and annealed samples. This work presents the first detailed magnetic characterization of magnetic interactions in a nanostructured cobalt ferrite, and provides an example of magnetic characterization of nanostructured ferrites using FORC.

Temperature dependence of magnetization reversal mechanism in misch-metal substituted Nd-Fe-B magnets sintered by dual alloy method

The substitution of Nd by misch-metal (MM) in Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets has attracted extensive attention due to the effective reduction of production cost and rational utilization of rare earth resources. In particular, multi-main phase (MMP) magnets prepared by dual alloy method possess a higher permanent magnetic performance than that of single main phase (SMP) magnets. However, the coercivity mechanism of MMP magnets is different from the nucleation and propagation of SMP magnets, especially the interactions of different 2:14:1 main phases have not been clarified. In this study, we investigated the temperature dependence of magnetization reversal mechanism in (MM,Nd)-Fe-B magnets by using recoil loops, minor hysteresis loops, first-order and second-order reversal curves. It found that with the increase of temperature, the magnetic moments motion is mainly affected by long-range magnetostatic interaction rather than exchange coupling. The weakened coupling interaction makes the demagnetization process of softer and harder magnetic phases asynchronous. The thermal activation energy barrier index related to coercivity mechanism is 1.45, 1.18 and 1.0 at 200 K, 300 K and 380 K, respectively. It indicates that nucleation and expansion of reversed domains are the main mechanisms controlling the magnetization reversal process at low temperature. While the coercivity at high temperature is mainly determined by the domain wall pinning mechanism. In addition, we noted that both two coercivity mechanisms coexist in MMP magnets at 300 K. Micromagnetism has also been used to verify the coercivity mechanism of (MM,Nd)-Fe-B magnets sintered by dual alloy method, which is of great significance for improving the magnetic properties of high abundance rare earth magnets.

Inertial magnetization dynamics on femtosecond scale

Inertia effect should be considered in ferromagnet magnetization dynamics on a sub picosecond-to-femtosecond-time scale. The inertia effect can be described by the inertial Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. This paper mainly introduces some theoretical and experimental developments of ultrafast ferromagnetic resonance, magnetization reversal and inertial spin dynamics. These results will be helpful in better understanding the basic mechanism of ultrafast demagnetization and magnetization reversal, and deepen the understanding of the microscopic mechanism of magnetic inertia. In the end, the development trend of future experimental and theoretical research are also presented.

Solid-State Dewetting as a Driving Force for Structural Transformation and Magnetization Reversal Mechanism in FePd Thin Films.

In this work, the process of solid-state dewetting in FePd thin films and its influence on structural transformation and magnetic properties is presented. The morphology, structure and magnetic properties of the FePd system subjected to annealing at 600 °C for different times were studied. The analysis showed a strong correlation between the dewetting process and various physical phenomena. In particular, the transition between the A1 phase and L10 phase is strongly influenced by and inextricably connected with solid-state dewetting. Major changes were observed when the film lost its continuity, including a fast growth of the L10 phase, changes in the magnetization reversal behavior or the induction of magnetic spring-like behavior.

Super-high coercivity NdFeB magnet fabricated with double Tb-rich/lean shells by double alloy method and grain boundary diffusion

In this work, the high performance NdFeB magnet were fabricated by double alloy method and grain boundary diffusion Tb70Cu20Ga10 alloys. The maximum energy product (BH)max and coercivity Hcj of the magnet are 45.33 MGOe and 35.46 kOe, respectively. The reversible temperature coefficients of coercivity of the diffusion magnets improve from − 0.456%/°C to − 0.412%/°C at the range of 22 °C −180 °C. The magnetostatic loss of NdFeB magnet was analyzed in high temperature applications by general finite element method (FEM). The RE-(Fe,CuGaO) grain boundary phases and double Tb-rich/lean shells improve the utilization rate of heavy rare earths and coercivity of magnets after diffusion. The magnetization reversal mechanism of double core-shell microstructures had been discussed. This work may shed light on developing coercivity above 30 kOe of NdFeB magnet with low heavy rare earth through modified microstructure.

Micromagnetic study of the effect of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction on magnetization reversal in magnetic nanodots of different shape

Thorough understanding of magnetization reversal process in perpendicularly magnetized nanostructures of different shapes in the presence of anti-symmetric exchange interaction is crucial in designing energy efficient magnetic storage devices. Here, we investigate the effect of interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (IDMI) and in-plane bias field (µ0H) on the magnetization reversal mechanism in perpendicularly magnetized square, circular and triangular nanodot of side length (diameter) 128 nm and thickness 1 nm using micromagnetic simulation Mumax3. Our results indicate a monotonic reduction in the coercive field with increase in the strength of IDMI and the nucleation of the reversal is observed at the edge of the nanodot irrespective of the shape. Additionally, the application of bias field pins the nucleation centre at the far edge of the dots and further lowers the energy barrier for the magnetization reversal with the extent of lowering related to the symmetry of the shape. Detailed analysis of energy profile reveals that due to the lateral asymmetry of the triangular nanodot (large spin canting), the total energy value is smaller for it at small magnitude of D (≤2 mJ/m2) and µ0H (≤100 mT) thereby making it preferred for energy efficient magnetization reversal in comparison to other two shapes. However, at sufficiently large magnitude of D (>2 mJ/m2) and µ0H (>100 mT), due to the laterally symmetric sides of the square (small spin canting), remarkable reduction of the energy barrier for the magnetization reversal is noticed. These findings indicate that the effect of D and µ0H in lowering the energy barrier for the magnetization reversal is intricately related to the symmetry associated with the shape of the nanodots. We thus believe that these results provide useful insight into the role of the shape of the nanoelement in designing spintronics devices where energy efficient magnetization reversal is required.

Substrate conformal imprint fabrication process of synthetic antiferromagnetic nanoplatelets

Methods to fabricate and characterize monodisperse magnetic nanoplatelets for fluid/bio-based applications based on spintronic thin-film principles are a challenge. This is due to the required top-down approach where the transfer of optimized blanket films to free particles in a fluid while preserving the magnetic properties is an uncharted field. Here, we explore the use of substrate conformal imprint lithography (SCIL) as a fast and cost-effective fabrication route. We analyze the size distribution of nominal 1.8 μm and 120 nm diameter platelets and show the effect of the fabrication steps on the magnetic properties which we explain through changes in the dominant magnetization reversal mechanism as the size decreases. We show that SCIL allows for efficient large-scale platelet fabrication and discuss how application-specific requirements can be solved via process and material engineering.

Magnetic-Property Assessment on Dy-Nd-Fe-B Permanent Magnet by Thermodynamic Calculation and Micromagnetic Simulation.

Heavy rare-earth (HRE) elements are important for the preparation of high-coercivity permanent magnets. A further understanding of the thermodynamic properties of HRE phases, and the magnetization reversal mechanism of magnets are still critical issues to obtain magnets that can achieve better performance. In this work, the Nd-Dy-Fe-B multicomponent system is investigated via the calculation of the phase diagram (CALPHAD) method and micromagnetic simulation. The phase composition of magnets with various ratios of Nd and Dy is assessed using critically optimized thermodynamic data. γ-Fe and Nd2Fe17 phases are suppressed when partial Nd is substituted with Dy (<9.3%), which, in turn, renders the formation of Nd2Fe14B phase favorable. The influence of the magnetic properties of grain boundaries (GBs) on magnetization reversal is detected by the micromagnetic simulations with the 3D polyhedral grains model. Coercivity was enhanced with both 3 nm nonmagnetic and the hard-magnetic GBs for the pinning effect besides the GBs. Moreover, the nucleation and propagation of reversed domains in core-shell grains are investigated, which suggests that the magnetic structure of grains can also influence the magnetization reversal of magnets. This study provides a theoretical route for a high-efficiency application of the Dy element, realizing a deterministic enhancement of the coercivity in Nd-Fe-B-based magnets.

High-temperature magnetization reversal in the inertial regime

Motivated by the remarkable experimental observation of all-optical femtosecond-scale magnetization reversal at relatively high temperatures, a stochastic inertial Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert-Bloch (iLLGB) equation is written to describe nonequilibrium magnetization dynamics in ferromagnets at elevated temperatures and at short enough timescales that an inertial effect manifests. The effect of thermal agitations is described by a Fokker-Planck equation derived from the iLLGB equation including the longitudinal relaxation effect, which is solved with perturbation theory valid at elevated temperatures. Considering a uniaxially symmetric ferromagnet with uniaxial anisotropy, a thermal diffusion-driven exponential mode and alternating field-driven nutation mode of stable magnetization reversal are identified. Our theory proposes a magnetization reversal mechanism based entirely on transfer of angular momentum to the local magnetization, but which takes into account thermal fluctuations and inertial effect at the same time. The theory explains several key observations in all-optical magnetization reversal experiments; the absence of the need for a static field, the subpicosecond switching timescale, the relative roles of thermal and field effects, and the relevance of circularly polarized light. Our results have direct implications for magnetic recording devices operating close to room temperatures and in the ultrafast regime.

Micromagnetic study of magnetization reversal in inhomogeneous permanent magnets

Macroscopic magnetic properties of magnets strongly depend on the magnetization process and the microstructure of the magnets. Complex materials such as hard-soft exchange-coupled magnets or just real technical materials with impurities and inhomogeneities exhibit complex magnetization behavior. Here we investigate the effects of size, volume fraction, and surroundings of inhomogeneities on the magnetic properties of an inhomogeneous magnetic material via micromagnetic simulations. The underlying magnetization reversal and coercivity mechanisms are revealed. Three different demagnetization characteristics corresponding to the exchange coupling phase, semi-coupled phase, and decoupled phase are found, depending on the size of inhomogeneities. In addition, the increase in the size of inhomogeneities leads to a transition of the coercivity mechanism from nucleation to pinning. This work could be useful for optimizing the magnetic properties of both exchange-coupled nanomagnets and inhomogeneous single-phase magnets.

Unveiling the effect of annealing on magnetic properties of nanocrystalline half-metallic Heusler Co2FeSi alloy glass-coated microwires

In this article, we present a new Co2FeSi glass-coated microwire obtained by Taylor-Ulitovsky technique with nanocrystalline structure consisting of a mixture of bcc phase (lattice parameter, a = 5.640 Å, crystalline grain size, Dg = 17.8 nm) in as-prepared sample. The annealing temperature was fixed at 873 K, and the annealing time was 1 and 6 h. The annealing resulted in a significant increase of such nano-grains up to (31.6 nm). Perfect square hysteresis loops have been observed in all annealed samples at a wide temperature range (55–400 K) that are not seen in the as prepared sample. The thermal magnetic behavior for the annealed samples shows dramatic magnetic behavior at low temperature. Large irreversibility magnetic behavior with a blocking temperature (Tb = 150 K) has been observed for annealed sample for 1 h. Critical temperatures of 155 K and 105 K have been detected for annealed samples for 1 h and 6 h, respectively, where the behavior of M−H loops, coercivity and remanence changed. Below the critical point the M−H shows wasp-waisted, multistep magnetic behavior and complex magnetic reversal mechanism is supposed. The anomalous magnetic behavior is due to the coexistence of the ordered and disordered phases induced by annealing conditions below the room temperature. The difference in the magnetization behaviour, remanence, and coercivity values for Co2FeSi glass-coated microwires samples indicates the influence of internal stresses created by the presence of the glass coating. These finding opens the door to design spintronic devices based on the magnetization switching.

Compact Model of Domain Wall MTJ Driven by Spin Orbit Torque and Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya Interaction

Current-induced domain wall motion (CIDWM) shows promising prospects with low power, high density, high speed, and so on. Recent studies have demonstrated that magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) based on CIDWM has great potential in mimicking a non-volatile artificial neuron and synapse. By combining the effect of the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (DMI) to stabilize the Néel-type domain wall (DW) and the high-speed low-power advantages of spin orbit torque (SOT), the novel MTJ device is experimentally demonstrated with low threshold current and high propagation speed, which shows potential applications in the field of the artificial neuron and synapse. In this article, a compact model for CIDWM-MTJ based on SOT and DMI is presented. The model integrates the SOT mechanism for magnetization reversal and DW nucleation, CIDWM behaviors, and tunnel resistance theory of MTJ nanopillar. The micromagnetic simulation and the temporal evolution of the DW position are implemented by solving the Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert (LLG) equation and the 1-D model. Based on the developed model, a hybrid CIDWM-MTJ/CMOS circuit is simulated for verification. The presented model combines the CIDWM dynamics and the MTJ magnetic dynamics, showing potential application for the simulation of all-spin artificial neural network (ANN).