Nanosecond Current Pulses Research Articles

Micromagnetic study of domain wall depinning driven by nanosecond current pulse in notched Permalloy nanowires

The complete understanding of domain wall (DW) dynamics is important in the design of future spintronic devices. The characteristics of faster time-scale and lower current amplitude to move DW along nanowire are crucial in fabrication upgrade. In this study, we have investigated depinning behavior of magnetic domain wall triggered by nanosecond current pulse in notched Permalloy nanowires by means of micromagnetic simulation. We introduced double-triangular notch as the constrictions in the nanowire. The non-adiabaticity of the spin-transfer-torque is considered in simulation by varying the non-adiabatic constant (β) value. We observed that the depinning current density (Jd) was not significantly affected by β for notch size (s) < 50 nm. Interestingly, we found that the depinning time (td) for β ≥ 0.04 was slightly constant for all the cases with s > 70 nm, where the DW structure was kept to be a transverse structure during the depinning process. The broadly applicable depinning behavior is considered to contribute to the development of high-speed memory storage devices based on magnetic domain wall.

Magnetic antiskyrmions above room temperature in tetragonal Heusler materials.

Magnetic skyrmions are topologically stable, vortex-like objects surrounded by chiral boundaries that separate a region of reversed magnetization from the surrounding magnetized material. They are closely related to nanoscopic chiral magnetic domain walls, which could be used as memory and logic elements for conventional and neuromorphic computing applications that go beyond Moore's law. Of particular interest is 'racetrack memory', which is composed of vertical magnetic nanowires, each accommodating of the order of 100 domain walls, and that shows promise as a solid state, non-volatile memory with exceptional capacity and performance. Its performance is derived from the very high speeds (up to one kilometre per second) at which chiral domain walls can be moved with nanosecond current pulses in synthetic antiferromagnet racetracks. Because skyrmions are essentially composed of a pair of chiral domain walls closed in on themselves, but are, in principle, more stable to perturbations than the component domain walls themselves, they are attractive for use in spintronic applications, notably racetrack memory. Stabilization of skyrmions has generally been achieved in systems with broken inversion symmetry, in which the asymmetric Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction modifies the uniform magnetic state to a swirling state. Depending on the crystal symmetry, two distinct types of skyrmions have been observed experimentally, namely, Bloch and Néel skyrmions. Here we present the experimental manifestation of another type of skyrmion-the magnetic antiskyrmion-in acentric tetragonal Heusler compounds with D2d crystal symmetry. Antiskyrmions are characterized by boundary walls that have alternating Bloch and Néel type as one traces around the boundary. A spiral magnetic ground-state, which propagates in the tetragonal basal plane, is transformed into an antiskyrmion lattice state under magnetic fields applied along the tetragonal axis over a wide range of temperatures. Direct imaging by Lorentz transmission electron microscopy shows field-stabilized antiskyrmion lattices and isolated antiskyrmions from 100 kelvin to well beyond room temperature, and zero-field metastable antiskyrmions at low temperatures. These results enlarge the family of magnetic skyrmions and pave the way to the engineering of complex bespoke designed skyrmionic structures.

Erratum: Skyrmion Creation and Manipulation by Nano-Second Current Pulses.

Scientific Reports 6: Article number: 22638; published online: 03 March 2016; updated: 10 October 2016.

Skyrmion Creation and Manipulation by Nano-Second Current Pulses.

Easy creation and manipulation of skyrmions is important in skyrmion based devices for data storage and information processing. We show that a nano-second current pulse alone is capable of creating/deleting and manipulating skyrmions in a spin valve with a perpendicularly magnetized free layer and broken chiral symmetry. Interestingly, for an in-plane magnetized fixed layer, the free layer changes from a single domain at zero current to a Neel wall at an intermediate current density. Reverse the current polarity, the Neel wall changes to its image inversion. A properly designed nano-second current pulse, that tends to convert one type of Neel walls to its image inversion, ends up to create a stable skyrmion without assistance of external fields. For a perpendicularly magnetized fixed layer, the skyrmion size can be effectively tuned by a current density.

Manipulating the magnetization direction of transverse domain walls in Permalloy/Ir strips using nanosecond current pulses

Using magnetic force microscopy and micromagnetic simulations, we studied the effect of Oersted magnetic fields on transverse magnetic domain walls in Fe20Ni80/Ir bilayer nanostrips. Applying nanosecond current pulses with a current density of around 2×1012A/m2, the magnetization direction of a transverse domain wall in the Fe20Ni80-layer could be switched reversibly and reproducibly. This suggests that in bi- and trilayer strips the Oersted field stabilizes the transverse wall magnetization direction during current-induced domain wall motion and prevents domain wall transformations.

Precise control of magnetic domain wall displacement by a nanosecond current pulse in Co/Ni nanowires

Magnetic domain wall (DW) motion induced by nanosecond current pulses is investigated in Co/Ni nanowires where the DW motion is driven by either adiabatic spin transfer torque (STT) or spin Hall torque (SHT). The DW displacement, including transient displacement and steady-state displacement, is found to be linearly related to the current pulse duration for both current-induced torques. The transient displacement is found to be less than 10% of the DW displacement. This result implies that the DW position can be controlled by tuning the duration of the current pulse, which enables a robust operation of racetrack memory.

Extreme degree of ionization in homogenous micro-capillary plasma columns heated by ultrafast current pulses.

Homogeneous plasma columns with ionization levels typical of megaampere discharges are created by rapidly heating gas-filled 520-μm-diameter channels with nanosecond rise time current pulses of 40kA. Current densities of up to 0.3 GA cm^{-2} greatly increase Joule heating with respect to conventional capillary discharge Z pinches, reaching unprecedented degrees of ionization for a high-Z plasma column heated by a current pulse of remarkably low amplitude. Dense xenon plasmas are ionized to Xe^{28+}, while xenon impurities in hydrogen discharges reach Xe^{30+}. The unique characteristics of these hot, ∼300:1 length-to-diameter aspect ratio plasmas allow the observation of unexpected spectroscopic phenomena. Axial spectra show the unusual dominance of the intercombination line over the resonance line of He-like Al by nearly an order of magnitude, caused by differences in opacities in the axial and radial directions. These plasma columns could enable the development of sub-10-nm x-ray lasers.

Quasistatic and Pulsed Current-Induced Switching With Spin-Orbit Torques in Ultrathin Films With Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy

Spin-orbit interaction derived spin torques provide a means of reversing the magnetization of perpendicularly magnetized ultrathin films with currents that flow in the plane of the layers. A basic and critical question for applications is the speed and efficiency of switching with nanosecond current pulses. Here, we investigate and contrast the quasistatic (slowly swept current) and pulsed current-induced switching characteristics of micrometer scale Hall crosses consisting of very thin (<;1 nm) perpendicularly magnetized CoFeB layers on β-Ta. While complete magnetization reversal occurs at a threshold current density in the quasistatic case, short duration (≤10 ns) larger amplitude pulses (≏10 times the quasistatic threshold current) lead to only partial magnetization reversal and domain formation. We associate the partial reversal with the limited time for reversed domain expansion during the pulse.

Control of magnetic vortex core switching in a Pac-man disk using a single current pulse

We report on the switching of the magnetic vortex core in a Pac-man disk using a nanosecond current pulse, investigated via micromagnetic simulations. The minimum core switching current density is reduced by 75% compared with that of a circular disk with the same diameter and thickness. The direction of the nucleation core is determined by the kinetic field of the out-of-plane component, which is induced by the core motion. We also show that the polarity of the core can be uniquely controlled by adjusting the direction of the current pulse.

Unidirectional Thermal Effects in Current-Induced Domain Wall Motion

We report experimental evidence of thermal effects on the displacement of vortex walls in NiFe nanostrips. With the use of nanosecond current pulses, a unidirectional motion of the magnetic domain walls towards the hotter part of the nanostrips is observed, in addition to current-induced domain wall motion. By tuning the heat dissipation in the samples and modeling the heat diffusion, we conclude that this unidirectional motion can only be explained by the presence of a temperature profile along the nanostrip. A quantitative analysis of the experiments shows that, on top of the classical thermodynamic pressure on the domain wall, another force, probably the magnonic spin Seebeck effect, is displacing the domain walls.

Direct Observation of Massless Domain Wall Dynamics in Nanostripes with Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy

Domain wall motion induced by nanosecond current pulses in nanostripes with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (Pt/Co/AlO(x)) is shown to exhibit negligible inertia. Time-resolved magnetic microscopy during current pulses reveals that the domain walls start moving, with a constant speed, as soon as the current reaches a constant amplitude, and no or little motion takes place after the end of the pulse. The very low "mass" of these domain walls is attributed to the combination of their narrow width and high damping parameter α. Such a small inertia should allow accurate control of domain wall motion by tuning the duration and amplitude of the current pulses.

High peak power optical pulses generated with a monolithic master-oscillator power amplifier

We present results on a monolithic semiconductor-based master-oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) combining a distributed-feedback (DFB) laser and a tapered amplifier on a single chip. The MOPA reaches an output power of almost 12 W at an emission wavelength around 1064 nm in continuous-wave operation. Pulses with a length of around 100 ps can be obtained either by injecting nanosecond current pulses into the tapered amplifier alone or into both the DFB laser and the tapered amplifier. In the latter case, pulses with a width of 84 ps, a peak power of 42 W, and a spectral width of 160 pm are generated.

Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition of Phase Change Ge1Sb2Te4 Nanowires

The self-assembly of Ge(1)Sb(2)Te(4) nanowires (NWs) for phase change memories application was achieved by metal organic chemical vapor deposition, catalyzed by Au nanoislands in a narrow range of temperatures and deposition pressures. In the optimized conditions of 400 °C, 50 mbar, the NWs are Ge(1)Sb(2)Te(4) single hexagonal crystals. Phase change memory switching was reversibly induced by nanosecond current pulses through metal-contacted NWs with threshold voltage of about 1.35 V.

High-Speed Spin-Transfer Switching in GMR Nano-Pillars With Perpendicular Anisotropy

We studied the spin-transfer switching probability (P <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">sw</sub> ) in giant magnetoresistance (GMR) device with perpendicular magnetizations using short nanosecond and sub-nanosecond current pulses. A switching time of 510 picoseconds was achieved with the application of 7.5 mA, which is 4.3 times larger than the critical current at 0 K, without the application of an assisting magnetic field. Experiments with longer pulses revealed an exponential decay of the nonswitching probability (1-P <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">sw</sub> ) as a function of pulse width. Extrapolation of the results predicts an error rate of 10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-19</sup> for a pulse width of about 4.8 ns. To understand the observed pulse width dependence of P <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">sw</sub> , we developed a formula using a macro spin model for the perpendicular magnetization system which includes the influence of thermal fluctuations in the initial magnetization direction of the free layer. The formula easily reproduces the qualitative nature of the observed P <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">sw</sub> distributions in all time ranges.

Direct observation of Oersted-field-induced magnetization dynamics in magnetic nanostripes

We have used time-resolved x-ray photoemission electron microscopy to investigate the magnetization dynamics induced by nanosecond current pulses in NiFe/Cu/Co nanostripes. A large tilt of the NiFe magnetization in the direction transverse to the stripe is observed during the pulses. We show that this effect cannot be quantitatively understood from the amplitude of the Oersted field and the shape anisotropy. High-frequency oscillations observed at the onset of the pulses are attributed to precessional motion of the NiFe magnetization about the effective field. We discuss the possible origins of the large magnetization tilt and the potential implications of the static and dynamic effects of the Oersted field on current-induced domain-wall motion in such stripes.

Actively Q-switched all-fiber laser with an electrically controlled microstructured fiber

Actively Q-switching of an all-fiber laser system is demonstrated. The active element is a polarization switch with nanosecond risetime based on a microstructured fiber with electrically driven internal electrodes. Optical feedback between two 100% reflectors is inhibited until a nanosecond current pulse Q-switches the laser. After a short optical pulse develops several roundtrips later, the fiber switch is turned off, removing the short optical pulse from the cavity through a polarization splitter. Pulses of 50 W peak power and approximately 12 ns duration are obtained with 400 mW pump power at 100 Hz.

Dependence of Magnetic Domain-Wall Motion on a Fast Changing Current

A dependence of current-induced domain-wall motion in nanowires on the temporal shape of current pulses is observed. The results show that the motion of the wall is amplified for alterations of the current on a time scale smaller than the intrinsic time scale of the domain wall which is a few nanoseconds in permalloy. This effect arises from an additional force on the wall by the spin-transfer torque due to a fast changing current and improves the efficiency of domain-wall motion. The observations provide an understanding for the efficient domain-wall motion with nanosecond current pulses.

Probing activation energy barrier distribution for reversal of strongly exchange-coupled magnetic multilayer thin films

We demonstrate a measurement technique with zero-applied magnetic field to deduce and spatially map the activation energy barrier distribution of strongly exchange-coupled magnetic-multilayer thin films, which is otherwise inaccessible with conventional methods in the presence of an applied magnetic field. Our technique involves the analysis of magnetic force microscopy images of magnetic microwires, whose magnetizations have been subject to thermal decay due to Joule heating from applied nanosecond scale current pulses. Fitting the results of such measurements on CoNi/Pd magnetic-multilayer microwires to a modified Arrhenius–Neel formalism yields an energy barrier distribution with 8% sigma, in good agreement with complementary fits of the switching-field-distribution measurements on patterned CoNi/Pd magnetic-multilayer islands.

Dynistors with nanosecond response times

The results of studies of deep-level dynistors (DLDs) in modes of switching high-power nanosecond current pulses at a current rise rate of up to 200 A/ns unique for semiconductor switches are presented. The dependences of the switching energy loss in DLDs on the amplitude of the control current and the shape of triggering voltage pulses are shown. The electrophysical processes developing at the edge surface of a DLD subjected to the application of high-voltage triggering pulses are analyzed.

Current-induced domain-wall depinning in curved Permalloy nanowires

Domain walls in curved Permalloy (Ni80Fe20) nanowires are depinned by nanosecond current pulses and magnetic fields. A significant dependence of the depinning probability on the pulse length is observed. We measure an oscillatory dependence with a characteristic frequency of 270 MHz. The quality of the Permalloy used for the nanowires is crucial for efficient domain-wall depinning. By sputtering Permalloy on heated substrates we are able to considerably decrease the specific resistance that is found to directly correspond to the depinning field of the domain wall.