Magnetization Reversal Process Research Articles

Role of (Pr20Nd80)60Tb15Cu15Ga10 intergranular addition on the magnetic properties of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnet

Intergranular addition using heavy rare earth (HRE) Dy/Tb containing alloys has been an effective way to modulate the microstructure and chemical distribution towards fabricating high-coercivity Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets. In this work, (Pr20Nd80)60Tb15Cu15Ga10 (at%) intergranular alloy powders were designed and introduced with dual purposes of forming Tb-rich matrix shell and antiferromagnetic RE6Fe13Ga grain boundary phase (GBP). With 3 wt% (Pr20Nd80)60Tb15Cu15Ga10 addition, the coercivity Hcj is significantly increased from 11.1 kOe to 17.9 kOe, accompanied with a high utilization efficiency of Tb (11.8 kOe/%) and a superior temperature coefficient of coercivity β(−0.531%/K). Microstructural analysis suggests that the improved wettability of grain boundary by (Pr20Nd80)60Tb15Cu15Ga10 addition is beneficial to form the Tb-rich matrix shell and antiferromagnetic RE6Fe13Ga GBP throughout the bulk magnets. Micromagnetic simulation is implemented to study the effect of formed ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic GBP and Tb-rich matrix shell on the magnetization reversal process. Results show that the synergy of Tb-rich shell surrounding Nd/Pr-rich core and antiferromagnetic Nd/Pr-rich RE6Fe13Ga GBP is an effective way to promote the coercivity with high utilization efficiency of HRE Tb.

Long-term Variation of the Solar Polar Magnetic Fields at Different Latitudes

The polar magnetic fields of the Sun play an important role in governing solar activity and powering fast solar wind. However, because our view of the Sun is limited in the ecliptic plane, the polar regions remain largely uncharted. Using the high spatial resolution and polarimetric precision vector magnetograms observed by Hinode from 2012 to 2021, we investigate the long-term variation of the magnetic fields in polar caps at different latitudes. The Hinode magnetic measurements show that the polarity reversal processes in the north and south polar caps are non-simultaneous. The variation of the averaged radial magnetic flux density reveals that, in each polar cap, the polarity reversal is completed successively from the 70° latitude to the pole, reflecting a poleward magnetic flux migration therein. These results clarify the polar magnetic polarity reversal process at different latitudes.

Effect of growth conditions on magnetization reversal and magnetic anisotropy in Co2Fe0.5Ti0.5Si quaternary Heusler alloy thin films

Ferromagnetic resonance and magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE) techniques are employed to unravel the nature of ‘in-plane’ (IP) magnetic anisotropy and magnetization reversal (MR) processes in magnetron-sputtered 100 nm Co2Fe0.5Ti0.5Si (CFTS) thin films, deposited (and subsequently annealed) at different substrate temperatures (Ts) ranging from 200 °C to 550 °C. By varying TS, the CFTS films are produced with different amounts of anti-site (AS) atomic disorder. Irrespective of the degree of AS disorder, the IP uniaxial magnetic anisotropy (UMA) is prevalent in all the CFTS films. The TS450 and TS500 films, deposited at T S = 450 °C and 500 °C, stand out as they have (i) the least AS disorder, (ii) lowest value (α = 0.0055) of the Gilbert damping constant, (iii) high saturation magnetization ( ≅770 G ) at 300 K, (iv) UMA energy density as high as ≅1.6×104erg/cc at 120 K dropping to ≅1.0×104erg/cc at 300 K, (v) spin-wave stiffness ( D ) at T = 0 K, D0≅175 meVÅ2 and, as in other CFTS films, the electron–magnon interaction is primarily responsible for the thermal renormalization of D . Furthermore, in the TS450 and TS500 films, MOKE hysteresis loops at various angles ( ψH ) that the field makes with the easy axis in the film plane, reveals two mutually exclusive UMAs, UMA1≫UMA2 , with easy axes perpendicular to each other. By contrast, only a single UMA is observed in all the remaining films. When ψH=0∘ , MOKE domain images reveal that, consistent with the uniaxial nature of magnetic anisotropy, an abrupt reversal of magnetization is accompanied by the formation of 180° domains. When ψH = 90°, due to the presence of two UMAs in TS450 and TS500 films, following the field reversal, first the reverse domains nucleate and then grow at the expense of the fundamental domains through field-induced domain wall motion.

Magnetization reversal and stability of vortex state in convex shaped cylindrical nanodisks

Cylindrical nanodisks typically exhibit in-plane magnetization reversal comprising of nucleation and propagation of a vortex closure state. Present work investigates the magnetization reversal process in a cylindrical disk of radius ranging from 20 nm to 100 nm in which the flat surfaces at top and bottom are modified to convex shaped surfaces. It is found that the nucleation of vortex state no longer occurs as a result of this surface modification. Instead, a buckled magnetization state is nucleated which transforms to reverse buckled state yielding a square hysteresis loop. However, the out-of-plane hysteresis loop exhibits a vortex state at remanence. Analytical calculation of total free energy of both vortex as well as buckled state and the comparison thereof shows that the vortex state is ground state if radius of nanodisk is above 60 nm . Below this critical radius, buckled state is the ground state. But the non-appearance of vortex state at remanence in in-plane hysteresis loop of all of the nanodisks indicates a presence of energy barrier between vortex and buckled state. Height of the energy barrier is estimated using nudged elastic band method (NEBM) in all cases which proves that the energy barrier for vortex state weakens and the barrier for buckled state intensifies with the reduction of nanodisk size. At the critical radius of 60 nm , crossover of the two barrier heights occurs. Eventually, at the radius of 30 nm , the vortex state becomes totally unstable which can be toppled to buckled state with the slightest of perturbation.

Enhanced interlayer Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction and field-free switching in magnetic trilayers with orthogonal magnetization

The indirect interlayer exchange coupling (IEC) between two magnetic layers holds significant importance in the field of spintronics and has been widely used in the construction of synthetic antiferromagnets. Recently, the interlayer Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (DMI), antisymmetric counterpart of IEC, has been discovered in magnetic trilayers with a heavy-metal spacer. In this study, we present an investigation on antisymmetric and symmetric counterparts of IEC in D022-Mn3Ga/Pt/Co trilayers with orthogonal magnetization. Due to the strong interlayer DMI across the entire multilayer, the symmetry of magnetic reversal process was broken, leading to an enhanced chiral exchange-bias field of 42.7 Oe in the Co layer. In addition, field-free spin–orbit torque (SOT) switching of D022-Mn3Ga layer has been realized in Hall bar devices. In-plane field dependence analysis of the SOT switching behavior reveals that the symmetric counterpart of IEC exhibits antiferromagnetic characteristics within the spacer thickness range of 2 nm ≤ tPt ≤5 nm. Moreover, the magnitude of both antisymmetric and symmetric counterparts of IEC exhibits an exponential decreasing trend with increasing tPt. These findings hold significant implications for the design and manipulation of three-dimensional chiral spin textures in the future spintronic devices.

Magnetization reversal phenomenon of higher-order lump and mixed interaction structures on periodic background in the (2+1)-dimensional Heisenberg ferromagnet spin equation

This paper mainly researches a useful model that can describe the rapid magnetization reversal process, namely the (2+1)-dimensional Heisenberg ferromagnet spin equation. Based on its Lax pair, we construct the iterative generalized (r,N−r)-fold Darboux transformation (DT), and obtain new position-controllable higher-order lump, periodic wave and rich mixed lump–breather interaction structures on periodic background. In particular, with the increase of N in the iterative generalized (r,N−r)-fold DT, we find that the structure of the lump and periodic wave can flip over with respect to the background. Moreover, we also find a bright lump structure with two peaks and two valleys, which does not flip with the increase of N. We study the magnetization trajectory and magnetization on the Bloch sphere, from which we discover that the magnetization is distributed in an incomplete unit sphere for the flipped case, while the magnetization is distributed in a complete unit sphere for the non-flipped case. These magnetization reversal phenomena are expected to have potential applications in understanding the rapid magnetization reversal process.

The influence of a copper spacer on the magnetic properties of Pd/Co/Cu/Pd multilayers with perpendicular anisotropy

The potential for technological applications of systems presenting perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is undeniable. With the advent of spintronics and the possibility to explore spin textures, such as skyrmions, in devices, it becomes fundamental to understand how to finely tune the magnetic properties of nanometric systems. In multilayered thin films, characteristics such as domain structure, saturation magnetization and perpendicular anisotropy may be tailored by modifying the interfaces. In the present study, the impact of a copper spacer of varying thickness on the magnetic properties of Pd/Co/Cu/Pd multilayers is investigated. The evolution of magnetization curves, domain patterns and magnetization reversal processes in terms of the spacers thickness are analyzed.

Investigation of magnetization dynamics in trilayer width-modulated nanowires

We have investigated the magnetization reversal processes and dynamic behavior of trilayered Py(50 nm)/Pd(tPd)/Py(20 nm) nanowires with periodic width modulation as a function of spacer layer thickness tPd in the range from 0 to 10 nm and compared them with single-layer nanowires. The ferromagnetic resonance spectra show more than three modes that result from a non-uniform demagnetizing field in width-modulated nanowires. We observe that the spacer layer thickness influenced the ferromagnetic resonance spectra, which showed different numbers and values of modes and frequencies due to the different magnetization configurations for different spacer layer thicknesses. We also found that the two ferromagnetic layers are exchange-coupled for tPd = 2 nm nanowire arrays, showing the sharp switching of magnetization from the static measurements and sharp frequency jump from 13.6 to 14.7 GHz around −18 mT from the dynamic measurements. However, for tPd = 10 nm, the two layers switch at different fields, indicating a gradual decrease in magnetization as the reversal is mediated through dipolar coupling. The origin of modes is well explained from the spatial mode profiles of top and bottom magnetic layers. The dynamic responses in this spin-valve-type structure are useful for designing microwave-based spintronic devices.

Direct observation of magnetic domain walls in glass-coated submicronic amorphous wires

Results on the magnetic domain walls in rapidly solidified magnetostrictive and non-magnetostrictive amorphous submicronic wires are reported. Utilizing Lorentz transmission electron microscopy (LTEM) for the first time in this context, we have visualized and analyzed the domain walls in such ultra-thin amorphous wires. All the investigated samples display vortex magnetic domain walls, regardless of wire composition or diameter. In non-magnetostrictive wires, the domain walls maintain their structure and symmetry under varying magnetic field conditions. In contrast, magnetostrictive wires show an elongation of their domain walls upon magnetic field application, a response linked to the magnetoelastic coupling between magnetostriction and internal stresses induced during wire preparation. This study advances the understanding of magnetization reversal processes in amorphous submicronic wires. The insights gained are crucial for future developments in miniaturized magnetic devices.

Defect manipulation for the coercivity enhancement of Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets

The demand for rare-earth based permanent magnets is expected to rise for various climate friendly technologies. This motivates for the search of better designed permanent magnets with optimal use of rare-earth elements without compromising the key magnetic properties. We simulate Nd2Fe14B based permanent magnets to study the effects of microstructure on coercivity (HC). We demonstrate a fast method to compute the microstructural parameters in numerical micromagnetics. We report a novel magnetic reversal process, which is primarily driven by defect thickness. By selective replacement of the defect with a hard magnetic phase HC is expected to rise by 1.5 times to that of single grain model with soft defect. This study is extended to a multigrain polycrystal model. Our systematic approach helps in identifying specific microstructural features pertinent for enhancement of coercivity. This work provides implications for future work to design improved defect engineered permanent magnets for green technologies.

Magnetization reversal via domain wall motion in vertical high-aspect-ratio nanopillar with two magnetic junctions

A vertical ferromagnetic (FM) nanopillar can be used as magnetic memory owing to characteristics such as its high storage capacity and high thermal stability. The perpendicular shape anisotropy (PSA) of the pillar enables its magnetization direction to be stabilized. A pillar with a high aspect ratio exhibits both strong PSA and magnetization with high thermal stability. Reversing the magnetization direction of such a pillar using the current flowing through it is a significant challenge in spintronics. However, spin injection from another FM layer alone cannot reverse the magnetization of pillars of which the length exceeds 100 nm. This motivated us to propose a magnetic junction (MJ) consisting of a high-aspect-ratio FM nanopillar with two thin FM layers. Using micromagnetic simulation, we demonstrate the magnetization reversal of a 150 nm-long pillar with a diameter of 15 nm. The simulation revealed that the magnetization of the pillar reverses because of the spin transfer torque induced by the spin injection from the two thin FM layers and the spin-polarized current (SPC) flowing in the pillar in the longitudinal direction. During the magnetization reversal process, a domain wall (DW) first forms at one end of the pillar due to the spin injection. Then, driven by the SPC, the DW moves to the other end of the pillar, and the magnetization is reversed. The magnetization direction of the pillar, controlled by changing the direction of the current flowing through the pillar, can be evaluated from the respective magnetoresistance values of the two MJs. Alternatively, by pinning the DW in the pillar, a three-value magnetic memory can be developed. In addition, multi-bit and analog memories can be developed by controlling the pinning position of the DW. The high-aspect-ratio pillar-writing scheme is foreseen to pave the way for the practical development of next-generation spintronic devices.

Analysis on coercivity enhancement mechanism of grain-boundary-diffused and Dual-alloyed Nd-Fe-B Magnets

With the rapid development of application fields, such as the green energy industry, has resulted in increased demand for magnetic characteristics, especially the coercivity (Hcj). In this paper, two types of (Nd, Dy)-Fe-B magnets with comparable Hcj values were prepared using by grain boundary diffusion (GBD) method and dual alloy (DA) method. The composition, microstructure, domain structure, and magnetization reversal process of GBD and DA magnets were subjected to comparison. Additionally, an analysis of the specific coercivity mechanism was also conducted by fitting the Brown's equation. The results of composition and microstructure analysis revealed the formation of core-shell structural grains were formed in both GBD and DA methods. Specifically, the GBD method exhibited a higher concentration of Dy in the shell, constituting 26.8 % of the total rare earth (RE) content. In contrast the DA magnets had Dy accounting for 15.8 % of the total RE content in the shell. This discrepancy was identified as the primary factor contributing to the superior efficiency in enhancing the coercivity (Hcj) observed in the GBD method. The fitting results showed that GBD magnets were more inclined to nucleate in the core region in grain, whereas DA magnets nucleate at the edge of the grain shell layer. Both the observation of magnetic domains and magnetization reversal processes analysis revealed that the demagnetization process in GBD magnets is more uniform, which leads to better squareness. Our finding can provide theoretical and experimental basis for the preparation of high-performance Nd-Fe-B magnets.

Pulsed magnetization reversal in Ni nanowire

Pulsed magnetic field-induced magnetization reversal in Ni nanowires is investigated using micromagnetic simulation. The pulse amplitude, duration, and size of the nanowire are proven to have substantial impacts on the magnetization reversal process. Increasing pulse amplitude and duration leads to faster magnetization reversal for 10 nm-diameter nanowires. But for 40 nm-diameter nanowires with the same aspect ratio, the pulse parameters have a complicated influence on the magnetization reversal process due to the formation and propagation of magnetic domain walls. Further investigations reveal that applying a pulsed field at a certain angle from the long axis of the nanowire or raising the temperature can significantly accelerate the magnetization reversal process.

Coercivity mechanism of La–Nd–Fe–B films with Y spacer layer

The effect of the Y spacer layer on the phase composition, coercivity, and magnetization reversal processes of La–Nd–Fe–B films has been investigated. The addition of a 10 nm Y spacer layer increases the coercivity of the film to 1.36 T at 300 K and remains 0.938 T at 380 K. As the thickness of the Y spacer layer increases, Y participates in the formation of the main phase in the film, and further regulates the formation of La–B phases. The results of the first-order reversal curve (FORC) and micromagnetic fitting show that the coercivity of all the films is dominated by nucleation mechanism. The c-axis preferred orientation, good magnetic microstructure parameters and the largest dipole interaction enhance the coercivity. Therefore, the introduction of the Y spacer layer can be an effective way to improve the coercivity of La–Nd–Fe–B film over a wide temperature range of 150 K–380 K.

Writing temperature and thickness dependence of perpendicular magnetic-dot magnetization reversal probability

Investigation is necessary to figure out magnetization dynamics at high temperatures due to the low power requirement for heat-assisted magnetic recording technology. The Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation was employed to assess the dynamic of magnetization in perpendicular magnetic-dots at elevated temperatures, considering the thermal contribution to the effective field. The simulated perpendicular magnetic-dot has a 50×50 nm2 surface area with thicknesses of 10 nm, 50 nm, and 100 nm. This study reveals that the probability of magnetization reversal and the threshold field in the thermally-assisted magnetic reversal process of a magnetic dot is influenced by the thickness and writing temperature. Below the Curie point, as sample thickness increases, demagnetization energy increases, requiring a larger external magnetic field for magnetization reversal. For the thicker sample, the magnitude of the writing field decreases as the temperature increases, which corresponds to temperature-dependent magnetization. Meanwhile, the optimum writing field is obtained below the Curie point. The magnetic-dot with 100 nm of thickness has an effective writing temperature of 739.7 K with a corresponding writing field is 250 Oe while its reversal probability at zero magnetic field is up to 0.2. Magnetic-dot thickness affects magnetization reversal probability due to domain wall propagation mechanisms during magnetic switching that result from the demagnetization factor. Moreover, as the temperature approaches the Curie temperature, the probability of zero-field magnetization reversal in the absence of an external magnetic field is observed to escalate which has a direct impact on the writing field magnitude. It was found that the effective writing temperature is below the Curie temperature, which allows several hundred Oersted of the writing field.

Controlled Growth of Submillimeter-Scale Cr5Te8 Nanosheets and the Domain Wall Nucleation Governed Magnetization Reversal Process.

Two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnets have attracted widespread attention for promising applications in compact spintronic devices. However, the controlled synthesis of high-quality, large-sized, and ultrathin 2D magnets via facile, economical method remains challenging. Herein, we develop a hydrogen-tailored chemical vapor deposition approach to fabricating 2D Cr5Te8 ferromagnetic nanosheets. Interestingly, the time period of introducing hydrogen was found to be crucial for controlling the lateral size, and a Cr5Te8 single-crystalline nanosheet of lateral size up to ∼360 μm with single-unit-cell thickness has been obtained. These samples exhibit a leading role of domain wall nucleation in governing the magnetization reversal process, providing important references for optimizing the performances of associated devices. The nanosheets also show notable magnetotransport response, including nonmonotonous magnetic-field-dependent magnetoresistance and sizable anomalous Hall resistivity, demonstrating Cr5Te8 as a promising material for constructing high-performance magnetoelectronic devices. This study presents a breakthrough of large-sized CVD-grown 2D magnetic materials, which is indispensable for constructing 2D spintronic devices.

Modeling the Training Effect in Exchange‐Biased Bilayers for Large Numbers of Magnetization Reversal Cycles

The exchange bias (EB) is a unidirectional anisotropy that occurs, e.g., upon field‐cooling ferromagnet/antiferromagnet systems. In many material systems, the EB field is reduced from one hysteresis loop to the next measurement. This so‐called training effect (TE) has been investigated in experiments and by means of theoretical efforts by many research groups. The reduction of the EB field as a result of subsequent magnetization reversal processes is often fitted by a power law, usually with the exception of n = 1, or with an equation based on the discretized Landau–Khalatnikov equation, as first suggested by Binek. Few other models, usually with more fitting parameters, have been proposed yet. Herein, it is shown that for large numbers of subsequent magnetization reversal processes in Co/CoO thin film samples, a modified power law or a logarithmic fit can model the TE in most cases as well as the abovementioned, commonly used models.

Impact of the Sc3+/In3+ co-substitution on the structural, magnetic, and microwave characteristics of Co0.5Ni0.5Fe2O4 nanospinel ferrites

In this article, In3+ and Sc3+ ions dual-substituted NiCo nanospinel ferrites (ScIn→CoNiFe2O4 NSFs) have been synthesized through citrate-gel auto combustion method to investigate the effect of In3+ and Sc3+ ions on magnetic, and microwave characteristics. The following techniques TEM, SEM, EDX, and XRD were applied to characterize surface morphology, chemical composition, phase identification, and crystallinity of products, respectively. The XRD verified a phase formation of spinel structure with a minor amount of Sc2O3 was observed for products having x ≥ 0.04. The average crystal size (DXRD) of the products was estimated within the 33–68 nm range using the Scherrer equation. SEM and HR-TEM analyses exhibited accumulating sphere-shaped particles. By fitting the room-temperature spectra obtained from Mössbauer spectroscopy (Moss), Hyperfine interactions were determined. The cation distribution shows that there is a migration of In3+ ions in the lattice in an A→B direction with increasing concentrations while the B site is preferred by the larger Sc+3. M−H plots for 300 and 10 K illustrated all products carried out with a ferrimagnetic character. An enhancement in saturation magnetization (Ms) was remarked with Sc–In doping ratio up to 0.04 and thereafter a drop as the Sc–In concentration increased. The tendency in Ms values might be described by correlating it to the cation distribution amongst Oh and Td (octahedral and tetrahedral, respectively) sublattices. Temperature-dependent magnetization measurements were also investigated, which further confirmed the maintenance of the ferrimagnetic character throughout the temperature range 10–300 K. The peculiarities of the microwave properties have been analyzed by the measured S-parameters in the range of 6–18 GHz. It was assumed that the energy losses due to reflection are a combination of electrical and magnetic losses due to polarization processes and magnetization reversal processes in the region of inter-resonant processes. The average value of the reflection coefficient is −14.48 … −14.24 dB. A significant attenuation of the reflected wave energy opens up broad prospects for practical applications as coatings for providing electromagnetic compatibility.

Enhanced current-induced magnetization switching via antiferromagnetic coupled interface in Co/Ho heterostructures

Rare-earth ferromagnetic (RE–FM) heterostructures have attracted significant attention due to their intricate spin structures and physical phenomena. The antiferromagnetic coupled (AFC) interface formed by the distinctive interaction between the FM and RE elements has critical contributions to the magnetization reversal process. In this work, we investigate the enhancement of current-induced magnetization switching with the AFC interface at the Co/Ho heterostructure. The results shows that an increased spin–orbit torque (SOT) efficiency of up to 250% was achieved at a Ho thickness of 7 nm, with a critical switching current density of 2.7 × 1010 A/m2. When a Cu interlayer was introduced between the Co/Ho interface, a decreased SOT efficiency was observed, indicating that the SOT enhancement is primarily attributed to the AFC interfacial effect. At the AFC interface, the interaction between Co and Ho atoms generates an additional torque, enhancing the effective SOT efficiency.

Magnetization reversal processes of nanostructured PrFeB alloys

The paper considers the high-coercivity state of the melt-spun PrFeB alloys with different phase composition: the main Pr2Fe14B phase grains separated by the paramagnetic layers, single-phase state (Pr2Fe14B grains only), and combination of Pr2Fe14B and α-Fe phase grains. The phase composition and microstructure of the alloys, as well as their magnetic properties in the temperature range of 2–300 K are given. To establish the prevailing mechanism of the high-coercivity state, magnetometric techniques were used, including the study of the reversible magnetic susceptibility, and simulations by the finite difference method. The simulations of the magnetization reversal of these alloys demonstrate the complexity of this processes, which go beyond simple nucleation or pinning, and cannot be described in the framework of the Kneller-Hawig model. Models of magnetization reversal of the alloys under study are proposed. The presence and composition of the intergranular layer has a significant effect on the mechanism of the high-coercivity state.