No Arabic abstract
Spin-transfer torque (STT) and spin-orbit torque (SOT) are spintronic phenomena allowing magnetization manipulation using electrical currents. Beyond their fundamental interest, they allow developing new classes of magnetic memories and logic devices, in particular based on domain wall (DW) motion. In this work, we report the study of STT driven DW motion in ferrimagnetic manganese nickel nitride (Mn4-xNixN) films, in which a fine adjustment of the Ni content allows setting the magnetic compensation at room temperature. The reduced magnetization, combined with the large spin polarization of conduction electrons, strongly enhances the STT so that domain wall velocities approaching 3000 m/s can be obtained for Ni compositions close to the compensation point. In addition, a reversal of the domain wall motion direction is observed when the magnetic compensation composition is crossed. This striking feature, related to the change of direction of the spin polarization with respect to that of the net magnetization, is clarified by ab initio band structure calculations.
It was found that high current density needed for the current-driven domain wall motion results in the Joule heating of the sample. The sample temperature, when the current-driven domain wall motion occurred, was estimated by measuring the sample resistance during the application of a pulsed-current. The sample temperature was 750 K for the threshold current density of 6.7 x 10^11 A/m2 in a 10 nm-thick Ni81Fe19 wire with a width of 240 nm. The temperature was raised to 830 K for the current density of 7.5 x 10^11 A/m2, which is very close to the Curie temperature of bulk Ni81Fe19. When the current density exceeded 7.5 x 10^11 A/m2, an appearance of a multi-domain structure in the wire was observed by magnetic force microscopy, suggesting that the sample temperature exceeded the Curie temperature.
Control of magnetic domain wall motion by electric fields has recently attracted scientific attention because of its potential for magnetic logic and memory devices. Here, we report on a new driving mechanism that allows for magnetic domain wall motion in an applied electric field without the concurrent use of a magnetic field or spin-polarized electric current. The mechanism is based on elastic coupling between magnetic and ferroelectric domain walls in multiferroic heterostructures. Pure electric-field driven magnetic domain wall motion is demonstrated for epitaxial Fe films on BaTiO$_3$ with in-plane and out-of-plane polarized domains. In this system, magnetic domain wall motion is fully reversible and the velocity of the walls varies exponentially as a function of out-of-plane electric field strength.
In order to explain recent experiments reporting a motion of magnetic domain walls (DW) in nanowires carrying a current, we propose a modification of the spin transfer torque term in the Landau-Lifchitz-Gilbert equation. We show that it explains, with reasonable parameters, the measured DW velocities as well as the variation of DW propagation field under current. We also introduce coercivity by considering rough wires. This leads to a finite DW propagation field and finite threshold current for DW propagation, hence we conclude that threshold currents are extrinsic. Some possible models that support this new term are discussed.
The propagation of a head-to-head magnetic domain-wall (DW) or a tail-to-tail DW in a magnetic nanowire under a static field along the wire axis is studied. Relationship between the DW velocity and DW structure is obtained from the energy consideration. The role of the energy dissipation in the field-driven DW motion is clarified. Namely, a field can only drive a domain-wall propagating along the field direction through the mediation of a damping. Without the damping, DW cannot propagate along the wire. Contrary to the common wisdom, DW velocity is, in general, proportional to the energy dissipation rate, and one needs to find a way to enhance the energy dissipation in order to increase the propagation speed. The theory provides also a nature explanation of the wire-width dependence of the DW velocity and velocity oscillation beyond Walker breakdown field.
Spin-polarized electric current exerts torque on local magnetic spins, resulting in magnetic domain-wall (DW) motion in ferromagnetic nanowires. Such current-driven DW motion opens great opportunities toward next-generation magnetic devices controlled by current instead of magnetic field. However, the nature of the current-driven DW motion--considered qualitatively different from magnetic-field-driven DW motion--remains yet unclear mainly due to the painfully high operation current densities J_OP, which introduce uncontrollable experimental artefacts with serious Joule heating. It is also crucial to reduce J_OP for practical device operation. By use of metallic Pt/Co/Pt nanowires with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, here we demonstrate DW motion at current densities down to the range of 10^9 A/m^2--two orders smaller than existing reports. Surprisingly the current-driven motion exhibits a scaling behaviour identical to the field-driven motion and thus, belongs to the same universality class despite their qualitative differences. Moreover all DW motions driven by either current or field (or by both) collapse onto a single curve, signalling the unification of the two driving mechanisms. The unified law manifests non-vanishing current efficiency at low current densities down to the practical level, applicable to emerging magnetic nanodevices.