Search Results (10)

The achievement of the low Gilbert damping parameter in spin dynamic modulation is attractive for spintronic devices with low energy consumption and high speed. Metallic ferromagnetic alloy Co-Fe-B is a possible candidate due to its high compatibility with spintronic technologies. Here, we report thickness-dependent damping and soft magnetism in Co-Fe-B films sandwiched between two non-magnetic layers with Co-Fe-B films up to 50 nm thick. A non-monotonic variation of Co-Fe-B film damping with thickness is observed, which is in contrast to previously reported monotonic trends. The minimum damping and the corresponding Co-Fe-B thickness vary significantly among the different non-magnetic layer series, indicating that the structure selection significantly alters the relative contributions of various damping mechanisms. Thus, we developed a quantitative method to distinguish intrinsic from extrinsic damping via ferromagnetic resonance measurements of thickness-dependent damping rather than the traditional numerical calculation method. By separating extrinsic and intrinsic damping, each mechanism affecting the total damping of Co-Fe-B films in sandwich structures is analyzed in detail. Our findings have revealed that the thickness-dependent damping measurement is an effective tool for quantitatively investigating different damping mechanisms. This investigation provides an understanding of underlying mechanisms and opens up avenues for achieving low damping in Co-Fe-B alloy film, which is beneficial for the applications in spintronic devices design and optimization. Full article

The utilization of CoFeB thin films in spintronic devices has attracted significant attention due to their exceptional magnetic properties, which include high saturation magnetization and spin polarization. However, the effect of ambient temperature on the magnetic properties of CoFeB/MgO frames, particularly those with different buffer and capping layers, remains unexplored. Therefore, in this study, the magnetostatic and dynamic properties of CoFeB/MgO frames were investigated at various temperatures. Using vibrating sample magnetometry and ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy, changes in key parameters such as saturation magnetization, the Gilbert damping constant, magnetic anisotropy field, in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy energy, and thermal stability factor were investigated. Furthermore, the thermal stabilities of CoFeB/MgO frames with Ta buffer and capping layers were compared with those of CoFeB/MgO frames with W buffer and capping layers by examining the changes in the key parameters at various temperatures. These results reveal that the thermal stability of the latter surpassed that of the former. This study provides significant insights for the development of thermally robust spintronic devices capable of operating above room temperature. Full article

Advances in information technology are hindered by energy dissipation from Joule losses associated with charge transport. In contrast, the process of information based on spin waves propagation (magnons) in magnetic materials is dissipationless. Low damping of spin wave excitations is essential to control the propagation length of magnons. Ferrimagnetic Y₃Fe₅O₁₂ garnets (YIG) exhibit the lowest magnetic damping constants. However, to attain the lowest damping constant, epitaxial growth of YIG on single crystal substrates of Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂ at elevated temperatures is required, which hinders their CMOS integration in electronic devices. Furthermore, their low saturation magnetization and magnetocrystalline anisotropy are challenging for nanoscale device applications. In the search for alternative material systems, polycrystalline ferromagnetic Co₂₅Fe₇₅ alloy films and ferrimagnetic spinel ferrites, such as MgAl_0.5Fe_1.5O₄ (MAFO), have emerged as potential candidates. Their damping constants are comparable, although they are at least one order of magnitude higher than YIG’s. However, Co₂₅Fe₇₅ alloy thin film growth is CMOS compatible, and its magnon diffusion length is 20× longer than in MAFO. In addition, MAFO requires epitaxial growth on lattice-matched MgAl₂O₄ substrates. We discuss the material properties that control the Gilbert damping constant in Co_xFe_1−x alloys and MAFO and conclude that Co_xFe_1−x alloy thin films bring us closer to the realization of the exploitation of spin waves for magnonics. Full article

Using valid experimental parameters, we quantify the magnitude of resonantly phonon-driven precession of exchange magnons in freestanding ferromagnetic nickel thin films on their thickness L. Analytical solutions of acoustically driven equations for magnon oscillators display a nonmonotonous dependence of the peak magnetization precession on the film thickness. It is explained by different L-dependence of multiple prefactors entering in the expression for the total magnetization dynamics. Depending on the ratio of acoustic and magnetic (Gilbert) damping constants, the magnetization precession is shown to be amplified by a Q-factor of either the phonon or the magnon resonance. The increase in the phonon mode amplitude for thinner membranes is also found to be significant. Focusing on the magnetization dynamics excited by the two first acoustic eigenmodes with $p=1$ and $p=2$, we predict the optimum thicknesses of nickel membranes to achieve large amplitude magnetization precession at multi 100 GHz frequencies at reasonably low values of an external magnetic field. By extending the study to the case of Ni-Si bilayers, we show that these resonances are achievable at even higher frequencies, approaching the THz range. Full article

Spin-pumping-induced damping and interfacial Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (iDMI) have been studied in Pt/Co₂FeAl/MgO systems grown on Si or MgO substrates as a function of Pt and Co₂FeAl (CFA) thicknesses. For this, we combined vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), microstrip ferromagnetic resonance (MS-FMR), and Brillouin light scattering (BLS). VSM measurements of the magnetic moment at saturation per unit area revealed the absence of a magnetic dead layer in both systems, with a higher magnetization at saturation obtained for CFA grown on MgO. The key parameters governing the spin-dependent transport through the Pt/CFA interface, including the spin mixing conductance and the spin diffusion length, have been determined from the CFA and the Pt thickness dependence of the damping. BLS has been used to measure the spin wave non-reciprocity via the frequency mismatch between the Stokes and anti-Stokes lines. iDMI has been separated from the contribution of the interface perpendicular anisotropy difference between Pt/CFA and CFA/MgO. Our investigation revealed that both iDMI strength and spin pumping efficiency are higher for CFA-based systems grown on MgO due to its epitaxial growth confirmed by MS-FMR measurements of the in-plane magnetic anisotropy. This suggests that CFA grown on MgO could be a promising material candidate as a spin injection source via spin pumping and for other spintronic applications. Full article

The development of magnetic logic devices dictates a need for a novel type of interconnect for magnetic signal transmission. Fast signal damping is one of the problems which drastically differs from conventional electric technology. Here, we describe a magnetic interconnect based on a composite multiferroic comprising piezoelectric and magnetostrictive materials. Internal signal amplification is the main reason for using multiferroic material, where a portion of energy can be transferred from electric to magnetic domains via stress-mediated coupling. The utilization of composite multiferroics consisting of piezoelectric and magnetostrictive materials offers flexibility for the separate adjustment of electric and magnetic characteristics. The structure of the proposed interconnect resembles a parallel plate capacitor filled with a piezoelectric, where one of the plates comprises a magnetoelastic material. An electric field applied across the plates of the capacitor produces stress, which, in turn, affects the magnetic properties of the magnetostrictive material. The charging of the capacitor from one edge results in the charge diffusion accompanied by the magnetization change in the magnetostrictive layer. This enables the amplitude of the magnetic signal to remain constant during the propagation. The operation of the proposed interconnects is illustrated by numerical modeling. The model is based on the Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equation with the electric field-dependent anisotropy term included. A variety of magnetic logic devices and architectures can benefit from the proposed interconnects, as they provide reliable and low-energy-consuming data transmission. According to the estimates, the group velocity of magnetic signals may be up to 10⁵ m/s with energy dissipation less than 10⁻¹⁸ J per bit per 100 nm. The physical limits and practical challenges of the proposed approach are also discussed. Full article

Magnonic crystals and gratings could enable tunable spin-wave filters, logic, and frequency multiplier devices. Using micromagnetic models, we investigate the effect of nanowire damping, excitation frequency and geometry on the spin wave modes, spatial and temporal transmission profiles for a finite patterned nanograting under external direct current (DC) and radio frequency (RF) magnetic fields. Studying the effect of Gilbert damping constant on the temporal and spectral responses shows that low-damping leads to longer mode propagation lengths due to low-loss and high-frequency excitations are also transmitted with high intensity. When the nanowire is excited with stronger external RF fields, higher frequency spin wave modes are transmitted with higher intensities. Changing the nanowire grating width, pitch and its number of periods helps shift the transmitted frequencies over super high-frequency (SHF) range, spans S, C, X, K_u, and K bands (3–30 GHz). Our design could enable spin-wave frequency multipliers, selective filtering, excitation, and suppression in magnetic nanowires. Full article

Magnetic Weyl semimetals are newly discovered quantum materials with the potential for use in spintronic applications. Of particular interest is the cubic Heusler compound Co₂MnGa due to its inherent magnetic and topological properties. This work presents the structural, magnetic and electronic properties of magnetron co-sputtered Co₂MnGa thin films, with thicknesses ranging from 10 to 80 nm. Polarized neutron reflectometry confirmed a uniform magnetization through the films. Hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed a high degree of spin polarization and localized (itinerant) character of the Mn d (Co d) valence electrons and accompanying magnetic moments. Further, broadband and field orientation-dependent ferromagnetic resonance measurements indicated a relation between the thickness-dependent structural and magnetic properties. The increase of the tensile strain-induced tetragonal distortion in the thinner films was reflected in an increase of the cubic anisotropy term and a decrease of the perpendicular uniaxial term. The lattice distortion led to a reduction of the Gilbert damping parameter and the thickness-dependent film quality affected the inhomogeneous linewidth broadening. These experimental findings will enrich the understanding of the electronic and magnetic properties of magnetic Weyl semimetal thin films. Full article

In recent years the delta-E effect has been used for detecting low frequency and low amplitude magnetic fields. Delta-E effect sensors utilize a forced mechanical resonator that is detuned by the delta-E effect upon application of a magnetic field. Typical frequencies of operation are from several kHz to the upper MHz regime. Different models have been used to describe the delta-E effect in those devices, but the frequency dependency has mainly been neglected. With this work we present a simple description of the delta-E effect as a function of the differential magnetic susceptibility $\chi$ of the magnetic material. We derive an analytical expression for $\chi$ that permits describing the frequency dependency of the delta-E effect of the Young’s modulus and the magnetic sensitivity. Calculations are compared with measurements on soft-magnetic ${\left({\mathrm{Fe}}_{90}{\mathrm{Co}}_{10}\right)}_{78}{\mathrm{Si}}_{12}{\mathrm{B}}_{10}$ thin films. We show that the frequency of operation can have a strong influence on the delta-E effect and the magnetic sensitivity of delta-E effect sensors. Overall, the delta-E effect reduces with increasing frequency and results in a stiffening of the Young’s modulus above the ferromagnetic resonance frequency. The details depend on the Gilbert damping. Whereas for large Gilbert damping the sensitivity continuously decreases with frequency, typical damping values result in an amplification close to the ferromagnetic resonance frequency. Full article

Kr⁺ ion dose dependence of the magnetic properties of MnGa films and the fabrication of planar-patterned MnGa films by the local ion irradiation technique were reviewed. The magnetization and perpendicular anisotropy of the MnGa vanished at an ion dose of 1 × 10¹⁴ ions/cm² due to the phase change of the MnGa from ferromagnetic L1₀ to paramagnetic A1 phase. The average switching field H_sw of the planar-patterned MnGa increased with decreasing the bit size, implying low bit edge damage in the patterned MnGa, whereas a rather large switching field distribution (SFD) of 25% was confirmed for a bit size of ~40 nm. Time resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements revealed that as-prepared MnGa exhibits an effective anisotropy field H_keff = 20 kOe, its distribution ΔH_keff = 200 Oe, and Gilbert damping α = 0.008. The ion-irradiated MnGa films exhibited larger H_keff = 22–23 kOe than that of the MnGa before the ion dose. Thus, ion irradiation does not decrease the perpendicular anisotropy, which suggests a small bit edge in the patterned MnGa. ΔH_keff increased from 0.2 kOe to 3 kOe, whereas the length of disorder in the film ξ decreased from 10 nm to 3 nm by ion irradiation. Full article