No Arabic abstract
Energy-efficient switching of magnetization is a central problem in nonvolatile magnetic storage and magnetic neuromorphic computing. In the past two decades, several efficient methods of magnetic switching were demonstrated including spin torque, magneto-electric, and microwave-assisted switching mechanisms. Here we report the discovery of a new mechanism giving rise to magnetic switching. We experimentally show that low-dimensional magnetic chaos induced by alternating spin torque can strongly increase the rate of thermally-activated magnetic switching in a nanoscale ferromagnet. This mechanism exhibits a well-pronounced threshold character in spin torque amplitude and its efficiency increases with decreasing spin torque frequency. We present analytical and numerical calculations that quantitatively explain these experimental findings and reveal the key role played by low-dimensional magnetic chaos near saddle equilibria in enhancement of the switching rate. Our work unveils an important interplay between chaos and stochasticity in the energy assisted switching of magnetic nanosystems and paves the way towards improved energy efficiency of spin torque memory and logic.
A mesoscopic description of spin-transfer effect is proposed, based on the spin-injection mechanism occurring at the junction with a ferromagnet. The effect of spin-injection is to modify locally, in the ferromagnetic configuration space, the density of magnetic moments. The corresponding gradient leads to a current-dependent diffusion process of the magnetization. In order to describe this effect, the dynamics of the magnetization of a ferromagnetic single domain is reconsidered in the framework of the thermokinetic theory of mesoscopic systems. Assuming an Onsager cross-coefficient that couples the currents, it is shown that spin-dependent electric transport leads to a correction of the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation of the ferromagnetic order parameter with supplementary diffusion terms. The consequence of spin-injection in terms of activation process of the ferromagnet is deduced, and the expressions of the effective energy barrier and of the critical current are derived. Magnetic fluctuations are calculated: the correction to the fluctuations is similar to that predicted for the activation. These predictions are consistent with the measurements of spin-transfer obtained in the activation regime and for ferromagnetic resonance under spin-injection.
Magneto-elastic distortions are commonly detected across magnetic long-range ordering (LRO) transitions. In principle, they are also induced by the magnetic short-range ordering (SRO) that precedes a LRO transition, which contains information about short-range correlations and energetics that are essential for understanding how LRO is established. However these distortions are difficult to resolve because the associated atomic displacements are exceedingly small and do not break symmetry. Here we demonstrate high-multipole nonlinear optical polarimetry as a sensitive and mode selective probe of SRO induced distortions using CrSiTe$_3$ as a testbed. This compound is composed of weakly bonded sheets of nearly isotropic ferromagnetically interacting spins that, in the Heisenberg limit, would individually be impeded from LRO by the Mermin-Wagner theorem. Our results show that CrSiTe$_3$ evades this law via a two-step crossover from two- to three-dimensional magnetic SRO, manifested through two successive and previously undetected totally symmetric distortions above its Curie temperature.
The ability to experimentally map the three-dimensional structure and dynamics in bulk and patterned three-dimensional ferromagnets is essential both for understanding fundamental micromagnetic processes, as well as for investigating technologically-relevant micromagnets whose functions are connected to the presence and dynamics of fundamental micromagnetic structures, such as domain walls and vortices. Here, we demonstrate time-resolved magnetic laminography, a technique which offers access to the temporal evolution of a complex three-dimensional magnetic structure with nanoscale resolution. We image the dynamics of the complex three-dimensional magnetization state in a two-phase bulk magnet with a lateral spatial resolution of 50 nm, mapping the transition between domain wall precession and the dynamics of a uniform magnetic domain that is attributed to variations in the magnetization state across the phase boundary. The capability to probe three-dimensional magnetic structures with temporal resolution paves the way for the experimental investigation of novel functionalities arising from dynamic phenomena in bulk and three-dimensional patterned nanomagnets.
The recent discovery of ferromagnetism in two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) materials holds promises for novel spintronic devices with exceptional performances. However, in order to utilize 2D vdW magnets for building spintronic nanodevices such as magnetic memories, key challenges remain in terms of effectively switching the magnetization from one state to the other electrically. Here, we devise a bilayer structure of Fe3GeTe2/Pt, in which the magnetization of few-layered Fe3GeTe2 can be effectively switched by the spin-orbit torques (SOTs) originated from the current flowing in the Pt layer. The effective magnetic fields corresponding to the SOTs are further quantitatively characterized using harmonic measurements. Our demonstration of the SOT-driven magnetization switching in a 2D vdW magnet could pave the way for implementing low-dimensional materials in the next-generation spintronic applications.
The concept of perpendicular shape anisotropy spin-transfer torque magnetic random-access memory (PSA-STT-MRAM) consists in increasing the storage layer thickness to values comparable to the cell diameter, to induce a perpendicular shape anisotropy in the magnetic storage layer. Making use of that contribution, the downsize scalability of the STT-MRAM may be extended towards sub-20 nm technological nodes, thanks to a reinforcement of the thermal stability factor $Delta$. Although the larger storage layer thickness improves $Delta$, it is expected to negatively impact the writing current and switching time. Hence, optimization of the cell dimensions (diameter, thickness) is of utmost importance for attaining a sufficiently high $Delta$ while keeping a moderate writing current. Micromagnetic simulations were carried out for different pillar thicknesses of fixed lateral size 20 nm. The switching time and the reversal mechanism were analysed as a function of the applied voltage and aspect-ratio (AR) of the storage layer. For AR $<$ 1, the magnetization reversal resembles a macrospin-like mechanism, while for AR $>$ 1 a non-coherent reversal is observed, characterized by the nucleation of a transverse domain wall at the ferromagnet/insulator interface which then propagates along the vertical axis of the pillar. It was further observed that the inverse of the switching time is linearly dependent on the applied voltage. This study was extended to sub-20 nm width with a value of $Delta$ around 80. It was observed that the voltage necessary to reverse the magnetic layer increases as the lateral size is reduced, accompanied with a transition from macrospin-reversal to a buckling-like reversal at high aspect-ratios.