Indirect control of antiferromagnetic domain walls with spin current

The indirect controlled displacement of an antiferromagnetic domain wall by a spin current is studied by Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert spin dynamics. The antiferromagnetic domain wall can be shifted both by a spin-polarized tunnel current of a scanning tunneling microscope or by a current driven ferromagnetic domain wall in an exchange coupled antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic layer system. The indirect control of antiferromagnetic domain walls opens up a new and promising direction for future spin device applications based on antiferromagnetic materials.     

Current-driven magnetization switching and domain wall motion in nanostructures—Survey of recent experiments

An overview of recent experimental studies and new routes in the field of current-driven magnetization dynamics in nanostructured materials is given. The review introduces the basic concepts (Landau–Lifshitz phenomenology, critical current, spin currents in relation to spin accumulation, adiabatic/non-adiabatic spin-torque) and describes the main results of recent experiments on current-driven magnetization reversal within vertical pillar-like nanostructures and current-driven domain wall motion within laterally confined specimens. While for the pillar systems a discussion is provided of how the introduction of layers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, tunnel barriers and exchange bias and(or) oxide layers can be used to reduce the critical current densities for current-induced switching, the role of perpendicular anisotropy, use of spin valve structures, diluted magnetic semiconductors and epitaxial materials to increase the domain wall velocities are reviewed in the case of current-driven domain wall movement within lateral systems.     

Transient domain wall displacement under spin-polarized current pulses

This paper investigates the non steady-state displacement of magnetic domain walls in a nanostrip submitted to a time-dependent spin-polarized current flowing along the nanostrip. First, numerical micromagnetic simulations show that a domain wall can move under application of a current pulse, and that the displacement resulting from a conversion of the domain wall structure is quantized. The numerical findings are subsequently explained in the framework of simplified analytic models, namely the 1D model and the point-core vortex model. We then introduce the concept of an angle linked to the magnetization of a general domain wall, and show that it allows understanding the transient phenomena quite generally. Simple analytic formulas are derived and compared to experiments. For this, charts are given for the key parameters of the domain wall mechanics, as obtained from numerical micromagnetic simulations. We finally discuss the limitations of this work, by looking at the influence of temperature elevation under current, presence of a non-adiabatic term, and of disorder.     

利用扫描透射X射线显微镜观测磁涡旋结构

利用上海光源软X射线谱学显微光束线站(STXM)并结合X射线的磁圆二色效应, 我们对方形、圆形和三角形的Ni₈₀Fe₂₀薄膜微结构中的磁涡旋结构进行了定量实验观测, 并利用同步辐射光源的元素分辨特性, 分别在Fe和Ni的L₃吸收边对涡旋磁结构进行了观测. 我们还对磁涡旋中磁矩的分布进行了定量分析, 发现实验结果与微磁学模拟结果完全符合.     

Interactions of spin waves with a magnetic vortex

We have investigated azimuthal spin-wave modes in magnetic vortex structures using time-resolved Kerr microscopy. Spatially resolved phase and amplitude spectra of ferromagnetic disks with diameters from 5 microm down to 500 nm reveal that the lowest order azimuthal spin-wave mode splits into a doublet as the disk size decreases. We demonstrate that the splitting is due to the coupling between spin waves and the gyrotropic motion of the vortex core.     

Direct observation of domain-wall configurations transformed by spin currents

Direct observations of current-induced domain-wall propagation by spin-polarized scanning electron microscopy are reported. Current pulses move head-to-head as well as tail-to-tail walls in submicrometer Fe20Ni80 wires in the direction of the electron flow, and a decay of the wall velocity with the number of injected current pulses is observed. High-resolution images of the domain walls reveal that the wall spin structure is transformed from a vortex to a transverse configuration with subsequent pulse injections. The change in spin structure is directly correlated with the decay of the velocity.     

Current-induced domain wall motion in magnetic nanowires with spatial variation

We model current-induced domain wall motion in magnetic nanowires with the variable width. Employing the collective coordinate method we trace the wall dynamics. The effect of the width modulation is implemented by spatial dependence of an effective magnetic field. The wall destination in the potential energy landscape due to the magnetic anisotropy and the spatial nonuniformity is obtained as a function of the current density. For a nanowire of a periodically modulated width, we identify three (pinned, nonlinear, and linear) current density regimes for current-induced wall motion. The threshold current densities depend on the pulse duration as well as the magnitude of wire modulation. In the nonlinear regime, application of ns order current pulses results in wall displacement which opposes or exceeds the prediction of the spin transfer mechanism. The finding explains stochastic nature of the domain wall displacement observed in recent experiments.     

Detection of current-induced resonance of geometrically confined domain walls

Magnetic domain walls are found to exhibit quasiparticle behavior when subjected to geometrical variations. Because of the spin torque effect such a quasiparticle in a potential well is excited by an ac current leading to a dip in the depinning field at resonance for current densities as low as 2 x 10(10) A/m2. Independently the resonance frequencies of transverse walls and vortex walls are determined from the dc voltage that develops due to a rectifying effect of the resonant domain wall oscillation. The dependence on the injected current density reveals a strongly nonharmonic oscillation.     

Direct determination of large spin-torque nonadiabaticity in vortex core dynamics

We use a pump-probe photoemission electron microscopy technique to image the displacement of vortex cores in Permalloy discs due to the spin-torque effect during current pulse injection. Exploiting the distinctly different symmetries of the spin torques and the Oersted-field torque with respect to the vortex spin structure we determine the torques unambiguously, and we quantify the amplitude of the strongly debated nonadiabatic spin torque. The nonadiabaticity parameter is found to be β=0.15±0.07, which is more than an order of magnitude larger than the damping constant α, pointing to strong nonadiabatic transport across the high magnetization gradient vortex spin structures.     

Current induced domain wall motion in GaMnAs close to the Curie temperature

Domain wall dynamics produced by spin transfer torques is investigated in (Ga, Mn)As ferromagnetic semiconducting tracks with perpendicular anisotropy, close to the Curie temperature. The domain wall velocities are found to follow a linear flow regime which only slightly varies with temperature. Using the D?ring inequality, boundaries of the spin polarization of the current are deduced. A comparison with the predictions of the mean field k·p theory leads to an estimation of the carrier density whose value is compatible with results published in the literature. The spin polarization of the current and the magnetization of the magnetic atoms present similar temperature variations. This leads to a weak temperature dependence of the spin drift velocity and thus of the domain wall velocity. A combined study of field- and current-driven motion and deformation of magnetic domains reveals a motion of domain walls in the steady state regime without transition to the precessional regime. The ratio between the non-adiabatic torque β and the Gilbert damping factor α is shown to remain close to unity.     

Controlled and reproducible domain wall displacement by current pulses injected into ferromagnetic ring structures

In a combined numerical and experimental study, we demonstrate that current pulses of different polarity can reversibly and controllably displace a magnetic domain wall (DW) in submicrometer permalloy (NiFe) ring structures. The critical current densities for DW displacement are correlated with the specific spin structure of the DWs and are compared to results of micromagnetic simulations including a spin-torque term. Using a notch, an attractive local pinning potential is created for the DW resulting in a highly reproducible spin structure of the DW, critical for reliable current-induced switching.     

Pressure exerted on a domain wall by a current in a spin valve: Stoner ferromagnet model

The influence of an electric current flowing through a spin-valve perpendicular to its layers on a domain wall located in the free layer of the spin valve is studied. It is demonstrated that the nonequilibrium spin distribution generated by the current gives rise to a pressure exerted on the domain wall. This pressure is proportional to the current squared, and, for typical values of the magnetic parameters and a current density of 10⁷–10⁸ A/cm², its effect is similar to that of a magnetic field of several oersteds to several tens of oersteds. The magnitude and sign of the pressure are strongly dependent on the geometric and physical parameters of the device. The problem is solved using the model of itinerant-electron ferromagnetism. The relation of the discovered effect to experimental data on magnetization reversal induced by a spin-polarized current in such structures is discussed.     

Angular dependence of domain wall resistivity in artificial magnetic domain structures

We exploit the ability to precisely control the magnetic domain structure of perpendicularly magnetized Pt/Co/Pt trilayers to fabricate artificial domain wall arrays and study their transport properties. The scaling behavior of this model system confirms the intrinsic domain wall origin of the magnetoresistance, and systematic studies using domains patterned at various angles to the current flow are excellently described by an angular-dependent resistivity tensor containing perpendicular and parallel domain wall resistivities. We find that the latter are fully consistent with Levy-Zhang theory, which allows us to estimate the ratio of minority to majority spin carrier resistivities, rho downward arrow/rho upward arrow approximately 5.5, in good agreement with thin film band structure calculations.     

Vortex polarity switching by a spin-polarized current

The spin-transfer effect is investigated for the vortex state of a magnetic nanodot. A spin current is shown to act similarly to an effective magnetic field perpendicular to the nanodot. Then a vortex with magnetization (polarity) parallel to the current polarization is energetically favorable. Following a simple energy analysis and using direct spin-lattice simulations, we predict the polarity switching of a vortex. For magnetic storage devices, an electric current is more effective to switch the polarity of a vortex in a nanodot than the magnetic field.     

Domain wall motion in nanowires

We investigated the motion of domain walls in ferromagnetic cylindrical nanowires by solving the Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equation numerically for a classical spin model in which energy contributions from exchange, crystalline anisotropy, dipole–dipole interactions, and a driving magnetic field are considered. Depending on the diameter, either transverse domain walls or vortex walls are found. A transverse domain wall is observed for diameters smaller than the exchange length of the given system. In this case, the system effectively behaves one dimensionally and the domain wall velocity agrees with the result of Slonczewski for one-dimensional walls. For larger diameters, a crossover to a vortex wall sets in which enhances the domain wall velocity drastically. For a vortex wall the domain wall velocity is described by the Walker formula.     

Domain wall dynamics driven by spin transfer torque and the spin-orbit field

We have studied current-driven dynamics of domain walls when an in-plane magnetic field is present in perpendicularly magnetized nanowires using an analytical model and micromagnetic simulations. We model an experimentally studied system, ultrathin magnetic nanowires with perpendicular anisotropy, where an effective in-plane magnetic field is developed when current is passed along the nanowire due to the Rashba-like spin-orbit coupling. Using a one-dimensional model of a domain wall together with micromagnetic simulations, we show that the existence of such in-plane magnetic fields can either lower or raise the threshold current needed to cause domain wall motion. In the presence of the in-plane field, the threshold current differs for positive and negative currents for a given wall chirality, and the wall motion becomes sensitive to out-of-plane magnetic fields. We show that large non-adiabatic spin torque can counteract the effect of the in-plane field.     

Spin wave spectrum of magnetic nanotubes

We investigate the spin wave spectra associated to a vortex domain wall confined within a ferromagnetic nanotube. Basing our study upon a simple model for the energy functional we obtain the dispersion relation, the density of states and dissipation induced life-times of the spin wave excitations in presence of a magnetic domain wall. Our aim is to capture the basics spin wave physics behind the geometrical confinement of nobel magnetic textures.     

Gyroscopic dynamics of antiferromagnetic vortices in the orthoferrite domain wall

The method of generation of antiferromagnetic vortices on the supersound domain wall in the orthoferrites was proposed. Moving antiferromagnetic vortices were accompanied by the solitary deflection waves. These waves were used for investigation of generation and nonlinear dynamics of the antiferromagnetic vortices on a moving domain wall with the help of two- and three-fold digital high-speed photography and Faraday rotation in the orthoferrites plates cut perpendicular to the optical axis. The full velocity of antiferromagnetic vortex nonlinearly increases and saturates on the spin velocity level c. The vortices with smallest topological charges saturate earlier than with big one. The vortices velocity along the domain wall u increases up to the maximum and goes to the dependence u²+v²=c². Vortex dynamics is quasirelativistic on quasirelativistic domain wall. The theory of gyroscopic force in the domain wall of orthoferrites was elaborated by Zvezdin et al. and was confirmed our earlier experimental results.     

Dependence of switching process on the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy constant in P-MTJ

We investigate the dependence of the switching process on the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy(PMA) constant in perpendicular spin transfer torque magnetic tunnel junctions(P-MTJs) using micromagnetic simulations. It is found that the final stable states of the magnetization distribution of the free layer after switching can be divided into three different states based on different PMA constants: vortex, uniform, and steady. Different magnetic states can be attributed to a trade-off among demagnetization, exchange, and PMA energies. The generation of the vortex state is also related to the non-uniform stray field from the polarizer, and the final stable magnetization is sensitive to the PMA constant. The vortex and uniform states have different switching processes, and the switching time of the vortex state is longer than that of the uniform state due to hindrance by the vortex.