Perpendicular Magnetic Films Research Articles

Magnetic precession modes with enhanced frequency and intensity in hard/NM/soft perpendicular magnetic films.

High frequency magnetic precessions with strong intensity are strongly desired in material systems for high performance magnetic memory or nano-oscillator applications with ultrafast manipulation speed. Here, we demonstrate an exchange-coupled asymmetric composite film structure of Ta/Pd/[Pd/Co]5/Cu(tCu)/[Co/Ni]5/Ta with adjustable strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and interlayer coupling strength, in which the dynamic magnetic properties are systematically studied by using time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect spectroscopy. It is demonstrated that the in-phase precession frequency is between those of the single hard magnetic [Pd/Co]5 and soft [Co/Ni]5 multilayers, which can be significantly enhanced for the strongly coupled case at tCu < 1 nm. Moreover, in the weakly coupled samples with tCu = 1.0-3.0 nm, besides the common in-phase acoustic mode, an out-of-phase optical mode occurs simultaneously with a frequency even higher than that of the hard magnetic [Pd/Co]5 layer. The optical mode precession frequency and amplitude show an unusual non-monotonic variation trend with the increase of tCu, which has been theoretically analyzed and attributed to the co-effect of decreased coupling strength and increased magnetic anisotropy field difference between the two multilayer stacks. Moreover, by adjusting tCu and the [Co/Ni] repetition number N, an optical mode of strong intensity can be actively achieved, even reaching 80% as compared to the acoustic mode. These results provide effective control and better understanding of magnetic dynamics in perpendicular composite films, which are of key importance for developing ultrafast spintronics-based devices.

Chiral domain wall motion in unit-cell thick perpendicularly magnetized Heusler films prepared by chemical templating

Heusler alloys are a large family of compounds with complex and tunable magnetic properties, intimately connected to the atomic scale ordering of their constituent elements. We show that using a chemical templating technique of atomically ordered X′Z′ (X′ = Co; Z′ = Al, Ga, Ge, Sn) underlayers, we can achieve near bulk-like magnetic properties in tetragonally distorted Heusler films, even at room temperature. Excellent perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is found in ferrimagnetic X3Z (X = Mn; Z = Ge, Sn, Sb) films, just 1 or 2 unit-cells thick. Racetracks formed from these films sustain current-induced domain wall motion with velocities of more than 120 m s−1, at current densities up to six times lower than conventional ferromagnetic materials. We find evidence for a significant bulk chiral Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya exchange interaction, whose field strength can be systematically tuned by an order of magnitude. Our work is an important step towards practical applications of Heusler compounds for spintronic technologies.

Millimeter-sized magnetic domains in perpendicularly magnetized ferrimagnetic Mn4N thin films grown on SrTiO3

The use of epitaxial layers for domain wall-based spintronic applications is often hampered by the presence of pinning sites. Here, we show that when depositing Mn4N (10 nm) epitaxial films, the replacement of MgO(001) by SrTiO3(001) substrates allows minimizing the misfit, and to obtain an improved crystalline quality, a sharper switching, a full remanence, a high anisotropy and remarkable millimeter-sized magnetic domains, with straight and smooth domain walls. In a context of rising interest for current-induced domain wall motion in rare-earth ferrimagnets, we show that Mn4N/SrTiO3, which is rare-earth free, constitutes a very promising ferrimagnetic system for current-induced domain wall motion.

Micro magnetic dendritic domain structure in the demagnetized state of perpendicular magnetic ultrathin film: The effect of the width of the distribution of the energy barriers

Abstract We have used polar Kerr microscopy to study the magnetic domain structure in an ultrathin Au/Co(1 nm)/Au layer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. We present our demagnetization method of the sample. In the demagnetized state, we observed a dendritic domain structure. We theoretically calculated the lateral domain size in the demagnetized state by using two different models and we saw that the prefactor x = 0.389 corresponds to the domain structure observed. We used polar magneto-optical Kerr effect magnetometry (PMOKE) to study the magnetization reversal and to extract an activation energy E a in zero field and the width of the distribution of the energy barriers σ w . We correlated the dendritic domain structure observed with the large value of σ w .

Magnetic reversal and thermal stability of CoFeB perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction arrays patterned by block copolymer lithography

Dense arrays of pillars, with diameters of 64 and 25 nm, were made from a perpendicular CoFeB magnetic tunnel junction thin film stack using block copolymer lithography. While the soft layer and hard layer in the 64 nm pillars reverse at different fields, the reversal of the two layers in the 25 nm pillars could not be distinguished, attributed to the strong interlayer magnetostatic coupling. First-order reversal curves were used to identify the steps that occur during switching, and the thermal stability and effective switching volume were determined from scan rate dependent hysteresis measurements.

Structural, magnetic, and electrical properties of perpendicularly magnetized Mn4–xFexGe thin films

We investigated the structural, magnetic, and electrical properties of the perpendicularly magnetized Mn4-xFexGe thin films (0.3 ≤ x ≤ 1). The tetragonally distorted structure was verified for all investigated stoichiometries. High coercive fields in the range of 1.61 T to 3.64 T at room temperature were measured and showed increasing behavior with decreasing Fe content. The magnetic moments range from (0.16 ± 0.02) μB/f.u for Mn3Fe1Ge to (0.08 ± 0.01) μB/f.u for Mn3.4Fe0.6Ge. X-ray absorption spectroscopy revealed ferromagnetic coupling of the Mn and Fe atoms in Mn4-xFexGe and the ferrimagnetic ordering of the Mn magnetic moments. Anomalous Hall effect measurements showed sharp magnetization switching. The resistivity values are in the range of 207 μΩ cm to 457 μΩ cm depending on the stoichiometry. From the contribution of the ordinary Hall effect in the anomalous Hall effect measurements, Hall constants, the charge carrier density, and mobility were deduced. The thermal conductivity was calculated using the Wiedemann-Franz law. All these values are strongly influenced by the stoichiometry. An alternative method was introduced for the determination of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The values range between 0.26 MJ/m3 and 0.36 MJ/m3.

Effect of lattice mismatch stress on magnetic domain of epitaxial single crystal (BiTm)3(GaFe)5O12 film

Yttrium iron garnet (YIG) film is a kind of magnetic film and has been investigated extensively because of its excellent magnetic properties and various applications in different fields. Generally, the easy-axis of the film is in-plane and can be changed from in-plane to out-of-plane by introducing some Bi3+ ions into the dodecahedral sites as it has big uniaxial anisotropy, which will be very important in magnetic bubble memories, magneto-optical devices and the new development of spin-wave logic devices. In comparison with many other preparation techniques, the liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) has been consider as a potential method of realizing perpendicular magnetization film due to its big growth-induced anisotropy. However, the LPE technique has more stringent requirements for lattice match between garnet film and gadolinium gallium garnet (GGG) substrate, especially in the growth of thick film. The lattice match is the key factor in LPE growth if the aim of experiment is to achieve a perfect quality and thick film. In most of experiments, there always exists the lattice mismatch between the film and substrate. Owing to the film and substrate have different chemical compositions, their lattice mismatch stress is unavoidable. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of the stress on the anisotropy and then the magnetic domain of (BiTm)3(GaFe)5O12 single crystal film. In our experiment, the monocrystalline (BiTm)3(GaFe)5O12 films are prepared on (111)-oriented GGG substrates by LPE technique and the effect of lattice mismatch stress on the uniaxial anisotropy and magnetic domain are investigated. It is found that the lattice constant of the film is mainly determined by the content of Bi3+ in the film composition. and the increase of Bi3+ content leads to the increase of the film lattice constant, which affects the lattice mismatch stress between film and substrate. The lattice mismatch stress can adjust the perpendicular anisotropy of film which is the main reason for the domain changes. As the mismatch stress changes from tensile stress to compressive stress gradually, the magnetic bubble domain is transformed first into maze domain, and then into the partially striped domain, finally into the completely striped domain. The mismatch tensile stress is an effective method to enhance perpendicular anisotropy, when the growth-induced perpendicular anisotropy is not large enough. The bubble domain can only appear on the film with large tensile stress. The domain size is closely related to the stress. The domain width becomes wider as the mismatch stress becomes larger and it has the smallest domain size as the stress is minimum. These experimental results are very useful in controlling the uniaxial anisotropy and magnetic domain based on the change of the lattice mismatch stress in the growth process.

Combining a topological insulator with a perpendicular magnetized ferromagnetic thin film

Researchers have demonstrated the successful growth of a BiSb/MnGa bilayer on GaAs despite crystal structure differences and lattice mismatches.

Domain-width model for perpendicularly magnetized systems with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction

The influence of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) on stripe domains in perpendicularly magnetized thin ferromagnetic films is theoretically and experimentally investigated. We develop a domain spacing model describing the dependence of the stripe domain width on the magnetic properties of the sample. By including the magnetostatic energy of the domain walls the model correctly describes the transition from Bloch to N\'eel walls with increasing DMI constant. An approach to determine the magnitude of the DMI constant by fitting the stripe domain width as a function of the effective perpendicular anisotropy of wedge-shaped samples is developed and applied to several ultrathin multilayer samples based on Ni/Fe/Cu(001). The magnitude of the DMI constant arising from Fe/Ni and Ni/Fe interfaces is $0.3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.14$ meV/atom, indicating that the domain walls are in a pure chiral N\'eel state. Furthermore, phase diagrams of the skyrmionic bubble domain phase are recorded for two samples with different DMI constants, and by scaling the magnetic field a universal phase diagram for perpendicularly magnetized systems is obtained.

Ultrafast Magnetization Manipulation Using Single Femtosecond Light and Hot-Electron Pulses.

Current-induced magnetization manipulation is a key issue for spintronic applications. This manipulation must be fast, deterministic, and nondestructive in order to function in device applications. Therefore, single- electronic-pulse-driven deterministic switching of the magnetization on the picosecond timescale represents a major step toward future developments of ultrafast spintronic systems. Here, the ultrafast magnetization dynamics in engineered Gdx [FeCo]1-x -based structures are studied to compare the effect of femtosecond laser and hot-electron pulses. It is demonstrated that a single femtosecond hot-electron pulse causes deterministic magnetization reversal in either Gd-rich and FeCo-rich alloys similarly to a femtosecond laser pulse. In addition, it is shown that the limiting factor of such manipulation for perpendicular magnetized films arises from the formation of a multidomain state due to dipolar interactions. By performing time-resolved measurements under various magnetic fields, it is demonstrated that the same magnetization dynamics are observed for both light and hot-electron excitation, and that the full magnetization reversal takes place within 40 ps. The efficiency of the ultrafast current-induced magnetization manipulation is enhanced due to the ballistic transport of hot electrons before reaching the GdFeCo magnetic layer.

Spin–Orbit Torques in Metallic Magnetic Multilayers: Challenges and New Opportunities

Two decades after the discovery of the giant magnetoresistance that revolutionizes the hard disk drive, the rapid development of spin torque-based magnetic random access memory has once again demonstrated the great potential of spintronics in practical applications. While the industrial application is mainly focusing on the implementation of current-induced spin transfer torque (STT) in magnetic tunnel junctions, a new type of spin torque emerges due to the spin–orbit interaction in magnetic multilayers. A great effort has been devoted by the scientific community to study the so-called spin–orbit torque (SOT), which is not only of interest to fundamental science, but also exhibits potential for the application of current-induced magnetization switching. In this paper, we will review recent development in the SOTs including the fundamental understanding, materials development and measurement techniques. We will also discuss the challenges of using the SOT in potential applications, particularly on the switching of perpendicularly magnetized films.

Dispersive Stiffness of Dzyaloshinskii Domain Walls.

It is well documented that subjecting perpendicular magnetic films that exhibit the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction to an in-plane magnetic field results in a domain wall (DW) energy σ, which is highly anisotropic with respect to the orientation of the DW in the film plane Θ. We demonstrate that this anisotropy has a profound impact on the elastic response of the DW as characterized by the surface stiffness σ[over ˜](Θ)=σ(Θ)+σ^{''}(Θ) and evaluate its dependence on the length scale of deformation. The influence of stiffness on DW mobility in the creep regime is assessed, with analytic and numerical calculations showing trends in σ[over ˜] that better represent experimental measurements of domain wall velocity in magnetic thin films compared to σ alone. Our treatment provides experimental support for theoretical models of the mobility of anisotropic elastic manifolds and makes progress toward a more complete understanding of magnetic domain wall creep.

Deterministic propagation of vortex-antivortex pairs in magnetic trilayers

Thin perpendicular magnetic anisotropy films between two soft ferromagnetic layers have the nuclei for magnetization inversion at the bifurcations of their characteristic stripe domain pattern. The inverted nuclei induce vortex-antivortex pairs in the soft magnetic layers that exhibit a correlated motion extending several μm along the magnetic stripes during magnetization reversal. The sense of motion is completely determined by the topology of the magnetic bifurcations causing vortex-antivortex pairs to propagate in opposite senses depending on their polarities. This is a robust effect that might have practical applications. These findings are based on X-ray microscopy and micromagnetic calculations.

MnGa-based fully perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions with ultrathin Co2MnSi interlayers

Because tetragonal structured MnGa alloy has intrinsic (not interface induced) giant perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), ultra-low damping constant and high spin polarization, it is predicted to be a kind of suitable magnetic electrode candidate in the perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction (p-MTJ) for high density spin transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM) applications. However, p-MTJs with both bottom and top MnGa electrodes have not been achieved yet, since high quality perpendicular magnetic MnGa films can hardly be obtained on the MgO barrier due to large lattice mismatch and surface energy difference between them. Here, a MnGa-based fully p-MTJ with the structure of MnGa/Co2MnSi/MgO/Co2MnSi/MnGa is investigated. As a result, the multilayer is with high crystalline quality, and both the top and bottom MnGa electrodes show well PMA. Meanwhile, a distinct tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio of 65% at 10 K is achieved. Ultrathin Co2MnSi films are used to optimize the interface quality between MnGa and MgO barrier. A strong antiferromagnetic coupling in MnGa/Co2MnSi bilayer is confirmed with the interfacial exchange coupling constant of −5erg/cm2. This work proposes a novel p-MTJ structure for the future STT-MRAM progress.

Publisher's Note: Phase-resolved detection of the spin Hall angle by optical ferromagnetic resonance in perpendicularly magnetized thin films [Phys. Rev. B 95 , 064401 (2017)

Publisher's Note: Phase-resolved detection of the spin Hall angle by optical ferromagnetic resonance in perpendicularly magnetized thin films [Phys. Rev. B <b>95</b> , 064401 (2017)

Phase-resolved detection of the spin Hall angle by optical ferromagnetic resonance in perpendicularly magnetized thin films

The conversion of charge current to spin current by the spin Hall effect is of considerable current interest from both fundamental and technological perspectives. Measurement of the spin Hall angle, especially for atomically thin systems with large magnetic anisotropies, is not straightforward. Here we demonstrate a hybrid phase-resolved optical-electrical ferromagnetic resonance method that we show can robustly determine the spin Hall angle in heavy-metal/ferromagnet bilayer systems with large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. We present an analytical model of the ferromagnetic resonance spectrum in the presence of the spin Hall effect, in which the spin Hall angle can be directly determined from the changes in the amplitude response as a function of the spin current that is generated from a dc charge current passing through the heavy-metal layer. Increased sensitivity to the spin current is achieved by operation under conditions for which the magnetic potential is shallowest at the ``Smit point.'' Study of the phase response reveals that the spin Hall angle can be reliably extracted from a simplified measurement that does not require scanning over time or magnetic field but rather only on the dc current. The method is applied to the Pt-Co/Ni/Co system whose spin Hall angle was to date characterized only indirectly and that is especially relevant for spin-orbit torque devices.

Thickness dependence of magnetization reversal mechanism in perpendicularly magnetized L10 FePt films

We have studied the magnetic switching behavior of L10-ordered FePt films with varying thickness. It was found that coercivity is strongly dependent on the film thickness. The obvious variations of the coercivity in the thin films are confirmed by the measurements of structural and magnetic properties. With increasing thickness, the degree of L10 chemical ordering increased, while the magnetization reversal process transforms from a pinned two-steps magnetization reversal to a comparatively smooth domain wall motion behavior. Although considering anisotropy, exchange interaction and applied magnetic field, the switching behavior in films is quite complex, the main features of the magnetization reversal mechanism can be understood by performing detailed investigation on the effect of the deposition temperature and the angle of magnetic field.

Magnetic stripes and holes: Complex domain patterns in perforated films with weak perpendicular anisotropy

Hexagonal antidot arrays have been patterned on weak perpendicular magnetic anisotropy NdCo films by e-beam lithography and lift off. Domain structure has been characterized by Magnetic Force Microscopy at remanence. On a local length scale, of the order of stripe pattern period, domain configuration is controlled by edge effects within the stripe pattern: stripe domains meet the hole boundary at either perpendicular or parallel orientation. On a longer length scale, in-plane magnetostatic effects dominate the system: clear superdomains are observed in the patterned film with average in-plane magnetization along the easy directions of the antidot array, correlated over several antidot array cells.

Perpendicularly magnetized YIG-film resonators and waveguides with high operating power

We propose a novel technique for building YIG film-based resonators and waveguides for high power operating microwave devices. Our approach is based on the effect of total internal reflection (TIR) at the interface between the non-metalized and metalized regions of YIG film, which take place for forward volume magnetostatic spin waves in perpendicularly magnetized YIG films. Prototype resonators and waveguides were designed, fabricated, and tested. The obtained experimental data demonstrate high quality factor of 50 dB and a high power operation up to +15 dBm in the frequency range from 1.8 GHz to 5.1 GHz. Application of such resonators and waveguides in electrically tunable microwave oscillators promises an extremely low phase noises about −135 dB/Hz at 10 kHz offset.

Dependence of the magnetic properties in CoSiB/Pd multilayers on the number of repetitions

Perpendicular magnetic thin films are one of the most attractive systems for application in the industry of next-generation devices. In order to apply a next-generation device, a perpendicular magnetic multilayer must have a large magnetic anisotropy and a low saturation magnetization. In addition, the demagnetizing field of the multilayer inhibits the magnetization reversal, so a large coercivity is required for the reduction of the demagnetizing field. In this paper, we investigated the dependence of the coercivity and saturation magnetization on the number of repetitions in a CoSiB/Pd bilayer in [CoSiB 3 A/Pd 13 A] n multilayers. In this multilayer, all samples show perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, and the values of the coercivity and the saturation magnetization showed an increasing trend with increasing number of repetition. Moreover, we found that the largest coercivity was 365.18 Oe for n = 11 while the lowest saturation magnetization obtained a value of 110.40 emu/cm3 for n = 3.