Satoru Emori

Current-driven dynamics of chiral ferromagnetic domain walls

In most ferromagnets the magnetization rotates from one domain to the next with no preferred handedness. However, broken inversion symmetry can lift the chiral degeneracy, leading to topologically rich spin textures such as spin spirals and skyrmions through the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI). Here we show that in ultrathin metallic ferromagnets sandwiched between a heavy metal and an oxide, the DMI stabilizes chiral domain walls (DWs) whose spin texture enables extremely efficient current-driven motion. We show that spin torque from the spin Hall effect drives DWs in opposite directions in Pt/CoFe/MgO and Ta/CoFe/MgO, which can be explained only if the DWs assume a Néel configuration with left-handed chirality. We directly confirm the DW chirality and rigidity by examining current-driven DW dynamics with magnetic fields applied perpendicular and parallel to the spin spiral. This work resolves the origin of controversial experimental results and highlights a new path towards interfacial design of spintronic devices.

Magneto-ionic control of interfacial magnetism

In metal/oxide heterostructures, rich chemical, electronic, magnetic and mechanical properties can emerge from interfacial chemistry and structure. The possibility to dynamically control interface characteristics with an electric field paves the way towards voltage control of these properties in solid-state devices. Here, we show that electrical switching of the interfacial oxidation state allows for voltage control of magnetic properties to an extent never before achieved through conventional magneto-electric coupling mechanisms. We directly observe in situ voltage-driven O(2-) migration in a Co/metal-oxide bilayer, which we use to toggle the interfacial magnetic anisotropy energy by >0.75 erg cm(-2) at just 2 V. We exploit the thermally activated nature of ion migration to markedly increase the switching efficiency and to demonstrate reversible patterning of magnetic properties through local activation of ionic migration. These results suggest a path towards voltage-programmable materials based on solid-state switching of interface oxygen chemistry.

Spin Hall torque magnetometry of Dzyaloshinskii domain walls

Current-induced domain wall motion in the presence of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) is experimentally and theoretically investigated in heavy-metal/ferromagnet bilayers. The angular dependence of the current-induced torque and the magnetization structure of Dzyaloshinskii domain walls are described and quantified simultaneously in the presence of in-plane fields. We show that the DMI strength depends strongly on the heavy metal, varying by a factor of 20 between Ta and Pa, and that strong DMI leads to wall distortions not seen in conventional materials. These findings provide essential insights for understanding and exploiting chiral magnetism for emerging spintronics applications.

Voltage-controlled domain wall traps in ferromagnetic nanowires

Electrical control of magnetism has the potential to bring about revolutionary new spintronic devices, many of which rely on efficient manipulation of magnetic domain walls in ferromagnetic nanowires. Recently, it has been shown that voltage-induced charge accumulation at a metal-oxide interface can influence domain wall motion in ultrathin metallic ferromagnets, but the effects have been relatively modest and limited to the slow, thermally activated regime. Here we show that a voltage can generate non-volatile switching of magnetic properties at the nanoscale by modulating interfacial chemistry rather than charge density. Using a solid-state ionic conductor as a gate dielectric, we generate unprecedentedly strong voltage-controlled domain wall traps that function as non-volatile, electrically programmable and switchable pinning sites. Pinning strengths of at least 650 Oe can be readily achieved, enough to bring to a standstill domain walls travelling at speeds of at least ~20 m s(-1). We exploit this new magneto-ionic effect to demonstrate a prototype non-volatile memory device in which voltage-controlled domain wall traps facilitate electrical bit selection in a magnetic nanowire register.

Current-driven dynamics of Dzyaloshinskii domain walls in the presence of in-plane fields: Full micromagnetic and one-dimensional analysis

Current-induced domain wall motion along high perpendicular magnetocrystalline anisotropy multilayers is studied by means of full micromagnetic simulations and a one-dimensional model in the presence of in-plane fields. We consider domain wall motion driven by the spin Hall effect in the presence of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI). In the case of relatively weak DMI, the wall propagates without significant tilting of the wall plane, and the full micromagnetic results are quantitatively reproduced by a simple rigid one-dimensional model. By contrast, significant wall-plane tilting is observed in the case of strong DMI, and a one-dimensional description including the wall tilting is required to qualitatively describe the micromagnetic results. However, in this strong-DMI case, the one-dimensional model exhibits significant quantitative discrepancies from the full micromagnetic results, in particular, when high longitudinal fields are applied in the direction of the internal domain wall magnetization. It is also shown that, even under thermal fluctuations and edge roughness, the domain wall develops a net tilting angle during its current-induced motion along samples with strong DMI.

Electric field control of domain wall propagation in Pt/Co/GdOx films

The influence of a gate voltage on domain wall (DW) propagation is investigated in ultrathin Pt/Co/gadolinium oxide (GdOx) films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The DW propagation field can be enhanced or retarded by an electric field at the Co/GdOx interface and scales linearly with gate voltage up to moderate bias levels. Higher gate voltage levels, corresponding to electric fields >0.2 V/nm, produce a large irreversible change to the magnetic anisotropy that can enable nonvolatile switching of the coercivity.

Current-driven domain wall motion along high perpendicular anisotropy multilayers: The role of the Rashba field, the spin Hall effect, and the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction

The current-induced domain wall motion along a thin cobalt ferromagnetic strip sandwiched in a multilayer (Pt/Co/AlO) is theoretically studied with emphasis on the roles of the Rashba field, the spin Hall effect, and the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. The results point out that these ingredients, originated from the spin-orbit coupling, are consistent with recent experimental observations in three different scenarios. With the aim of clarifying which is the most plausible the influence of in-plane longitudinal and transversal fields is evaluated.

Chiral magnetization textures stabilized by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction during spin-orbit torque switching

We study the effect of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) on current-induced magnetic switching of a perpendicularly magnetized heavy-metal/ferromagnet/oxide trilayer both experimentally and through micromagnetic simulations. We report the generation of stable helical magnetization stripes for a sufficiently large DMI strength in the switching region, giving rise to intermediate states in the magnetization and confirming the essential role of the DMI on switching processes. We compare the simulation and experimental results to a macrospin model, showing the need for a micromagnetic approach. The influence of the temperature on the switching is also discussed.

Voltage-gated modulation of domain wall creep dynamics in an ultrathin metallic ferromagnet

The influence of gate voltage, temperature, and magnetic field on domain wall (DW) creep dynamics is investigated in Pt/Co/gadolinium oxide (GdOx) films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and imaged by a scanning magneto-optical Kerr effect technique. The DW creep velocity can be controlled by an electric field applied to the Co/GdOx interface via a linear modulation of the activation energy barrier with gate voltage. At low speeds, the DW velocity can be changed significantly by a gate voltage, but the effect is diminished as the DW velocity increases, which limits electric field control of fast DW motion.

Optimization of out-of-plane magnetized Co/Pt multilayers with resistive buffer layers

Ta oxide (TaOx) is investigated as a resistive buffer layer for the growth of high-quality Co/Pt multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA). The Pt/(Co/Pt)3 films grown on TaOx buffer layers exhibit stronger PMA than those grown on Pt buffer layers, and are of comparable quality to films grown on metallic Ta. The optimized multilayers with TaOx buffer layers remain out-of-plane magnetized for Co layer thicknesses up to 10 A without introducing a metallic current-shunting path, making these films attractive for spintronic devices using spin-polarized current.