Empirical relation between the Hall voltage and domain wall position in a Hall bar geometry

The anomalous Hall effect has been used as a versatile tool for the measurement of various transport phenomena in magnetic systems, particularly those with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The anomalous Hall voltage responds not only to the magnetization state but also to the position of magnetic domain walls when the magnetic domain passes through the Hall bar structure. In this study, an empirical relation was developed between the Hall voltage and domain wall position in the Hall bar geometry. This relation was first developed by numerical simulations and then, confirmed by analytical formulae. The validity of the empirical relation was finally verified by experimental results. The present empirical relation provides an experimental method for the electric detection of the position of magnetic domain walls.     

Field-driven creep motion of a composite domain wall in a Pt/Co/Pt/Co/Pt multilayer wire

We have studied the field-driven motion of a pair of coupled Bloch domain walls in a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy Pt/Co/Pt/Co/Pt multilayer Hall bar. The nucleation of an isolated but coincident pair of walls in the two Co layers, observed by Kerr microscopy, took place at an artificial nucleation site created by Ga⁺ ion irradiation. The average velocity v of the wall motion was calculated from time-resolved magnetotransport measurements at fixed driving field H, where the influence of the extraordinary Hall effect leads to the observation of voltages at the longitudinal resistance probes. We observed a good fit to the scaling relation lnv∝H^−1/4, consistent the motion of a single 1-dimensional wall moving in a 2-dimensional disordered medium in the creep regime: the two walls are coupled together into a 1-dimensional composite object.     

Magnetic domain wall pinning and coercivity in FePt/MgO and FePt/Pt thin films

FePt thin layers have been epitaxied either on Pt(0 0 1) or on MgO(0 0 1) substrates, and magnetically characterized using extraordinary Hall effect magnetometry and magnetic force microscopy. The coercivity originates in both cases from the pinning of domain walls on structural defects. Whereas the coercivity increases with the FePt layer thickness in FePt/Pt samples, it decreases in FePt/MgO samples. This discrepancy is explained on the basis of structural observations, and of atomistic simulations of magnetic domain wall pinning.     

Efficient current-induced domain-wall displacement in SrRuO3

We demonstrate current-induced displacement of ferromagnetic domain walls in submicrometer fabricated patterns of SrRuO3 films. The displacement, monitored by measuring the extraordinary Hall effect, is induced at zero applied magnetic field and its direction is reversed when the current is reversed. We find that current density in the range of 10(9)-10(10) A/m2 is sufficient for domain-wall displacement when the depinning field varies between 50 to 500 Oe. These results indicate relatively high efficiency of the current in displacing domain walls which we believe is related to the narrow width (approximately 3 nm) of domain walls in this compound.     

“Switching” of the nanodomain state of the frustrated ferromagnet-antiferromagnet system by an external magnetic field

The phenomenon of ??switching?? of the domain walls generated by frustrations in a two-layer ferromagnet-antiferromagnet nanostructure has been studied using numerical simulation methods. This phenomenon manifests itself in the fact that, as the magnetic field increases, the ferromagnetic layer divided into nanodomains by domain walls perpendicular to the layer plane becomes single-domain, and the antiferromagnetic layer that is uniform in weak fields is divided into 180° domains by the domain walls perpendicular to the layer. The structures of these domain walls have been calculated in various magnetic fields.     

Detection of domain wall propagation in a mesoscopic wire

Extraordinary Hall effect was used to detect the propagation of a domain wall in magnetic devices patterned in sputter grown Pt/Co(1 nm)/Pt sandwiches with perpendicular easy magnetization axis. In such films, domain walls propagate as coherent 1D nano-object in a 2D medium with weak fluctuation energy density. In a patterned device, the competition between global wall energy and Zeeman energy strongly influences the wall propagation.     

铁磁/非磁金属异质结中的拓扑霍尔效应

在铁磁/非磁金属异质结中,界面处的Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya相互作用会诱导诸如磁性斯格明子等手性磁畴壁结构的形成.当巡游电子通过手性磁畴壁结构时,会获得一个贝里相位,而相应的贝里曲率则等效于一个外磁场,它将诱导额外的霍尔效应,即拓扑霍尔效应.拓扑霍尔效应是当前磁性斯格明子和自旋电子学研究领域的热点之一.本文由实空间贝里相位出发,简要介绍了拓扑霍尔效应的物理机制;然后着重讨论了铁磁/非磁金属异质结中的拓扑霍尔效应,包括磁性多层膜中和MnGa/重金属双层膜中的拓扑霍尔效应.这两种结构都可以通过改变材料的厚度、种类、生长方式等调控界面Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya相互作用,从而有效地调控磁性斯格明子和拓扑霍尔效应.     

Domain-wall resistance in ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)As

A series of microstructures designed to pin domain walls (DWs) in (Ga,Mn)As with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy has been employed to determine extrinsic and intrinsic contributions to DW resistance. The former is explained quantitatively as resulting from a polarity change in the Hall electric field at DW. The latter is 1 order of magnitude greater than a term brought about by anisotropic magnetoresistance and is shown to be consistent with disorder-induced mistracking of the carrier spins subject to spatially varying magnetization.     

Large enhancement of domain wall-induced anomalous magnetoresistance in ferrimagnetic Tb/Co wires: The effect of injecting spin Hall current

We demonstrated domain wall (DW)-induced anomalous magnetoresistance (MR) generated in asymmetric and symmetric ferrimagnetic Tb/Co multilayered, and Tb–Co alloyed wires. The extraordinary Hall effect (EHE)-induced circulating currents in the vicinity of DWs between longitudinal voltage probes are assigned to the anomalous MR. A large anomalous MR ~1.5% was obtained in the asymmetric Tb/Co multilayered wire. The large MR can be attributed to an addition of spin Hall current with a long coherence length from an adjacent Pt layer. These results open new possibilities for the use of ferrimagnetic multilayered wires beyond multi-function devices.     

Domain wall resistance in perpendicular (Ga,Mn)As: Dependence on pinning

We have investigated the domain wall resistance for two types of domain walls in a (Ga,Mn)As Hall bar with perpendicular magnetization. A sizeable positive intrinsic DWR is inferred for domain walls that are pinned at an etching step, which is quite consistent with earlier observations. However, much lower intrinsic domain wall resistance is obtained when domain walls are formed by pinning lines in unetched material. This indicates that the spin transport across a domain wall is strongly influenced by the nature of the pinning.     

Non-volatile multi-state magnetic domain transformation in a Hall balance

High performance of the generation, stabilization and manipulation of magnetic skyrmions prompts the application of topological multilayers in spintronic devices. Skyrmions in synthetic antiferromagnets (SAF) have been considered as a promising alternative to overcome the limitations of ferromagnetic skyrmions, such as the skyrmion Hall effect and stray magnetic field. Here, by using the Lorentz transmission electron microscopy, the interconversion between the single domain, labyrinth domain and skyrmion state can be observed by the combined manipulation of electric current and magnetic field in a Hall balance (a SAF with the core structure of [Co/Pt]₄/NiO/[Co/Pt]₄ showing perpendicular magnetic anisotropy). Furthermore, high-density room temperature skyrmions can be stabilized at zero field while the external stimulus is removed and the skyrmion density is tunable. The generation and manipulation method of skyrmions in Hall balance in this study opens up a promising way to engineer SAF-skyrmion-based memory devices.     

溅射氧化铁薄膜的Hall效应

在磁场垂直于薄膜表面,磁感应强度B由0—1.4T变化的条件下,测量了溅射氧化铁薄膜的Hall效应。从实验数据得到了Fe₃O₄薄膜和γ-Fe₂O₃薄膜的寻常Hall系数R₀和非常Hall系数R_s,计算出这两种薄膜的Hall迁移率μ_H分别是2.35和1.56(cm)²/V·s。这个结果适合于大极化子导电机制的条件(ν≥1(cm)^关键词：     

Magnetic domain structures and magnetotransport properties in Co-Ag granular thin films

The magnetic microstructures and magnetotransport properties in granular Co_xAg_1-x films with 17%≤x≤62% were studied. Magnetic force microscopy (MFM) observations showed the presence of magnetic stripe domains in as-deposited samples with x≥45% and the evolution of the magnetic domain patterns to in-plane domains with annealing. A perpendicular magnetic anisotropy as high as about 8×10⁵ ergs/cc for as-deposited Co₆₂Ag₃₈ and about 6×10⁵ ergs/cc for as-deposited Co₄₅Ag₅₅ was observed by magnetization and torque measurements. With increasing annealing temperature, the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy became negative. The origin of the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy may be attributed to a rhombohedral distortion of the cubic cell due to residual substrate-film stresses. The magnetic stripe domains are the consequence of the interplay of the indirect or direct exchange, perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and dipolar interactions. Finally, magnetoresistance (MR) curves displayed training behaviours and different shapes when measured with different configurations (parallel, transverse and perpendicular). It is proposed that the existence and the evolution of the magnetic domain structures strongly affect the magnetotransport properties due to the extra contribution of the electron scattering at the domain walls. Furthermore, an anisotropic MR also contributes to the overall MR curves. Received: 2 March 2000 / Accepted: 28 March 2000 / Published online: 23 May 2001     

“Switching” phase transition of the nanodomain state of the frustrated ferromagnet-antiferromagnet system

The phenomenon of switching of the domain walls generated by frustrations in a two-layer ferromagnet-antiferromagnet nanostructure has been studied theoretically taking into account the energy of the uniaxial anisotropy beyond the exchange approximation. This phenomenon manifests itself in the fact that, as the magnetic field increases, the ferromagnetic layer divided into nanodomains by domain walls perpendicular to the layer plane becomes single-domain, and the antiferromagnetic layer that is uniform in weak fields is divided into 180° domains by the domain walls perpendicular to the layer. The phase diagram of the two-layer nanostructure has been constructed in the variables “the magnetic field-the characteristic distance between atomic step edges at the interface between the layers.”     

The correlations between processing parameters and magnetic properties of an iron–resin soft magnetic composite

In this study, internal microstrain of an iron–resin composite produced by powder metallurgy has been calculated using the Williamson–Hall method. The effects of microstrain evolution during different processing conditions on magnetic properties such as coercive force and hysteresis loss have been investigated. The results show that there are regular and similar changes of coercivity and hysteresis loss. Both of these properties are directly dependant on the pinning effect of the internal microstrain against the movement of magnetic domain walls during magnetization process.     

Magneto resistance due to domain wall scattering and magneto size effect of thin Ni and Co films at low temperatures

Nickel and cobalt films illustrate alternative Bloch lines with cap switches. The strip magnetic domains become zigzag and bubbling cells for Ni and Co films, respectively, under an external field of 1.5 T. The magnetoresistances (MR) for currents parallel (CIW) to the domain walls is 15% less than those of the perpendicular (CPW) case. We also studied the magneto size effect by applying the magnetic field normal to the surface, from which the Sondheimer oscillation appears attributing to periodic striking of the surface for electrons traveling in circular motion on a plane canting to the surface. The experiments can be expressed by the magneto size effect inherited with very small specularity parameters.     

Remanence due to wall magnetization and counterintuitive magnetometry data in 200-nm films of Ni

200-nm-thick Ni films in an epitaxial Cu/Ni/Cu/Si(001) structure are expected to have an in-plane effective magnetic anisotropy. However, the in-plane remanence is only 42%, and magnetic force microscopy domain images suggest perpendicular magnetization. Quantitative magnetic force microscopy analysis can resolve the inconsistencies and show that (i) the films have perpendicular domains capped by closure domains with magnetization canted at 51 degrees from the film normal, (ii) the magnetization in the Bloch domain walls between the perpendicular domains accounts for the low in-plane remanence, and (iii) the perpendicular magnetization process requires a short-range domain wall motion prior to wall-magnetization rotation and is nonhysteretic, whereas the in-plane magnetization requires long-range motion before domain-magnetization rotation and is hysteretic.     

Reorientation,multidomain states and domain walls in diluted magnetic semiconductors

The competition between surface/interface and intrinsic anisotropies yields a number of specific reorientation effects and strongly influences magnetization processes in diluted magnetic semiconductors as (Ga,Mn)As and (In,Mn)As. We develop a phenomenological theory to describe reorientation transitions and the accompanying multidomain states applicable to layers of these magnetic semiconductors. It is shown that the magnetic phase diagrams of such systems include a region of four-phase domain structure with four adjoining areas of two-phase domains as well as several regions with coexisting metastable states. We demonstrate that the parameters of isolated domain walls in (Ga,Mn)As nanolayers are extremely sensitive to applied magnetic field and can vary in a broad range. This can be used in microdevices of magnetic semiconductors with pinned domain walls. For (Ga,Mn)As epilayers with perpendicular anisotropy the geometrical parameters of domains have been calculated.     

Electrical resistivity due to electron scattering with magnetic domain walls and magnetic properties of Ni-Fe alloy thin films

The physical properties of magnetic domain walls and electrical conductivity of permalloy thin films under external magnetic fields were studied. Using a magnetic force microscope (MFM), we observed the variation of domain configurations with the change of applied magnetic field for different film thicknesses of 245, 320, and 415 nm. A superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) was exploited to measure the magnetization loop for the applied magnetic field either parallel or perpendicular to the normal direction of the surface. We also found that the resistivity increases significantly as the electrical current conduction changed from parallel to perpendicular to the domain walls.     

Two-dimensional micromagnetic simulation of domain structures in films with combined anisotropy

The transformation of the domain structure of micrometer-thick films with variations in the induced uniaxial anisotropy constant with the easy magnetization axis perpendicular to the film surface has been investigated using numerical micromagnetic simulation in the framework of a two-dimensional model of the magnetization distribution. The case where the tetra-axial crystallographic anisotropy exists in the film with uniaxial magnetic anisotropy has been considered. The transformation of the open domain structure into the structure with a magnetic flux closed inside the sample has been investigated in detail, and new types of 109-degree and 90-degree vortex-like domain walls and periodic domain structures have been obtained.