Search

Spin-torque nano-oscillators (STNOs) are a type of nanoscale microwave auto-oscillators utilizing spin-torque to generate magnetodynamics with great promise for applications in microwaves, magnetic memory, and neuromorphic computing. Here, we report the first demonstration of exchange-spring STNOs, with an exchange-spring ([Co/Pd]-Co) reference layer and a perpendicular ([Co/Ni]) free layer. This magnetic configuration results in high-frequency (>10 GHz) microwave emission at a zero magnetic field and exchange-spring dynamics in the reference layer and the observation of magnetic droplet solitons in the free layer at different current polarities. Our demonstration of bipolar and field-free exchange-spring-based STNOs operating over a 20 GHz frequency range greatly extends the design freedom and functionality of the current STNO technology for energy -efficient high-frequency spintronic and neuromorphic applications., QC 20230412

We study mutual synchronization in double nanoconstriction-based spin Hall nano-oscillators (SHNOs) under weak in-plane magnetic fields (mu H-0(IP) = 30-40 mT) and also investigate its angular dependence. We compare SHNOs with different nanoconstriction spacings of 300 and 900 nm. In all devices, mutual synchronization occurs below a certain critical angle, which is higher for the 300 nm spacing than for the 900 nm spacing, reflecting the stronger coupling at shorter distances. Alongside the synchronization, we observe a strong second harmonic consistent with predictions that the synchronization may be mediated by the propagation of second-harmonic spin waves. However, although Brillouin light scattering microscopy confirms the synchronization, it fails to detect any related increase of the second harmonic. Micromagnetic simulations instead explain the angular-dependent synchronization as predominantly due to magnetodipolar coupling between neighboring SHNOs., QC 20220809

We investigate the origin of the experimentally observed varying current-frequency nonlinearity of the propagating spin wave mode in nanocontact spin torque oscillators. Nominally identical devices with 100 nm diameter are characterized by electrical microwave measurements and show large variation in the generated frequency as a function of drive current. This quantitative and qualitative device-to-device variation is described in terms of continuous and discontinuous nonlinear transitions between linear current intervals. The thin-film grain microstructure in our samples is determined using atomic force and scanning electron microscopy to be on the scale of 30 nm. Micromagnetic simulations show that the reflection of spin waves against the grain boundaries results in standing wave resonance configurations. For a simulated device with a single artificial grain, the frequency increases linearly with the drive current until the decreased wavelength eventually forces another spin wave antinode to be formed. This transition results in a discontinuous step in the frequency versus current relation. Simulations of complete, randomly generated grain microstructures additionally shows continuous nonlinearity and a resulting device-to-device variation in frequency that is similar to the experimental levels. The impact of temperature from 4 to 300 K on the resonance mode-transition nonlinearity and frequency noise is investigated using simulations and it is found that the peak levels of the spectral linewidth as a function of drive current agree quantitatively with typical levels found in experiments at room temperature. The impact of the grain microstructure on the localized oscillation modes is also investigated., QC 20210708

We demonstrate an approach for improving the spectral linewidth of a spin torque nano-oscillator (STNO). Using He + ion irradiation, we tune the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) of the STNO free layer such that its easy axis is gradually varied from strongly out-of-plane to moderate in-plane. As the PMA impacts the non-linearity N of the STNO, we can, in this way, control the threshold current, the current tunability of the frequency, and, in particular, the STNO linewidth, which dramatically improves by two orders of magnitude. Our results are in good agreement with the theory for nonlinear auto-oscillators, confirm theoretical predictions of the role of the nonlinearity, and demonstrate a straightforward path toward improving the microwave properties of STNOs., QC 20200408

We demonstrate field and current controlled magnetodynamics in nanocontact spin-torque nano-oscillators based on orthogonal magnetic tunnel junctions. We systematically analyze the microwave properties (frequency f, linewidth Delta f, power P, and frequency tunability df/dI) with their physical origins-perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, dampinglike and fieldlike spin transfer torque (STT), and voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy (VCMA). These devices present several advantageous characteristics: high emission frequencies (f>20 GHz), high frequency tunability (df/dI=0.25 GHz/mA), and zero-field operation (f similar to 4 GHz). Furthermore, detailed investigation of f(H, I) reveals that df/dI is mostly governed by the large VCMA [287 fJ/(V m)], while STT plays a negligible role., QC 20191108

A dissipative magnetic soliton, or magnetic droplet, is a structure that has been predicted to exist within a thin magnetic layer when non-linearity is balanced by dispersion, and a driving force counteracts the inherent damping of the spin precession. Such a soliton can be formed beneath a nano-contact (NC) that delivers a large spin-polarized current density into a magnetic layer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Although the existence of droplets has been confirmed from electrical measurements and by micromagnetic simulations, only a few attempts have been made to directly observe the magnetic landscape that sustains these structures, and then only for a restricted set of experimental parameter values. In this work we use and x-ray holography technique HERALDO, to image the magnetic structure of the [ Co/ Ni] x4 multilayer within a NC orthogonal pseudo spin-valve, for different range of magnetic fields and injected electric currents. The magnetic configuration imaged at -33 mA and 0.3 T for devices with 90 nm NC diameter reveals a structure that is within the range of current where the droplet soliton exist based on our electrical measurements and have it is consistent with the expected size of the droplet (similar to 100 nm diameter) and its spatial position within the sample. We also report the magnetisation configurations observed at lower DC currents in the presence of fields (0-50 mT), where it is expected to observe regimes of the unstable droplet formation.

We investigate how the Oersted field affects the magnetic droplet nucleation boundary in spin-torque nano-oscillators based on orthogonal spin-valve stacks with a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy Co/Ni free layer and an easy-plane anisotropy Ni80Fe20 fixed layer. The current-field nucleation boundary is determined experimentally using both microwave signal and dc resistance measurements. The Oersted field can, in principle, have an impact on droplet nucleation. This effect is considered approximately using an analytical equation for the nucleation boundary, which is extended to cover fields larger than the fixed-layer saturation field. We test the accuracy of this approach by comparing with micromagnetic simulations. Finally, we carry out a numerical fit to experimental data and find good agreement.

Using He+ ion irradiation, we demonstrate how the magnetodynamic properties of both ferromagnetic layers in all-perpendicular [Co/Pd]/Cu/[Co/Ni] spin valves can be tuned by varying the He+ ion fluence. As the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of both layers is gradually reduced by the irradiation, different magnetic configurations can be achieved from all-perpendicular (up arrow up arrow), through orthogonal (->up arrow), to all in-plane (paired right arrows). In addition, both the magnetic damping (alpha) and the inhomogeneous broadening (Delta H-0) of the Co/Ni layer improve substantially with increasing fluence. While the GMR of the spin valve is negatively affected, decreasing linearly from an original value of 1.14% to 0.4% at the maximum fluence of 50x10(14) He+/cm(2), most of the Co/Ni layer improvement is achieved already at a fluence of 10x10(14) He+/cm(2), for which GMR only reduces to 0.9%.

Magnetic droplets are nontopological dynamical soli tons that can be nucleated in nanocontact based spin torque nano-oscillators (STNOs) with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy free layers. While theory predicts that the droplet should be of the same size as the nanocontact, its inherent drift instability has thwarted attempts at observing it directly using microscopy techniques. Here, we demonstrate highly stable magnetic droplets in all-perpendicular STNOs and present the first detailed droplet images using scanning transmission X-ray microscopy. In contrast to theoretical predictions, we find that the droplet diameter is about twice as large as the nanocontact. By extending the original droplet theory to properly account for the lateral current spread underneath the nanocontact, we show that the large discrepancy primarily arises from current-in-plane Zhang-Li torque adding an outward pressure on the droplet perimeter. Electrical measurements on droplets nucleated using a reversed current in the antiparallel state corroborate this picture.

We experimentally study the auto-oscillating spin-wave modes in Ni(80)Fc(20)/beta-W constriction-based spin Hall nano-oscillators as a function of bias current, strength of the in-plane applied field, and azimuthal field angle in the low-field range of 40-80 mT. We observe two different spin-wave modes: (i) a linearlike mode confined to the internal field minima near the edges of the nanoconstriction, and only weakly dependent on the bias current and the applied-field angle, and (ii) a second, lower-frequency mode with significantly higher threshold current and stronger dependence on both the bias current and the externalfield angle. Micromagnetic modeling qualitatively reproduces the experimental data and reveals that the second mode is a spin-wave bullet and that the spin Hall nano-oscillator mode hops between the two modes, resulting in a substantial increase in linewidths. In contrast to the linearlike mode, the bullet is localized in the middle of the constriction and shrinks with increasing bias current. Using intrinsic frequency doubling at zero field angle, we can reach frequencies above 9 GHz in fields as low as 40 mT, which is important for the development of low-field spintronic oscillators with applications in microwave-signal generation and neuromorphic computing., QC 20181126

We study the auto-oscillating magnetodynamics in orthogonal spin-torque nano-oscillators (STNOs) as a function of the out-of-plane (OOP) magnetic-field angle. In perpendicular fields and at OOP field angles down to approximately 50°, we observe the nucleation of a droplet. However, for field angles below 50°, experiments indicate that the droplet gives way to propagating spin waves, in agreement with our micromagnetic simulations. Theoretical calculations show that the physical mechanism behind these observations is the sign changing of spin-wave nonlinearity (SWN) by angle. In addition, we show that the presence of a strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy free layer in the system reverses the angular dependence of the SWN and dynamics in STNOs with respect to the known behavior determined for the in-plane magnetic anisotropy free layer. Our results are of fundamental interest in understanding the rich dynamics of nanoscale solitons and spin-wave dynamics in STNOs., QC 20180524

Two-dimensional heterostructures of graphene (Gr) and metal/semiconducting elements convey new direction in electronic devices. They can be useful for spintronics because of small spin orbit interaction of Gr as a non-magnetic metal host with promising electrochemical stability. In this paper, we demonstrate one-step fabrication of magnetic Ni-particles entrapped within Gr-flakes based on simultaneous electrochemical exfoliation/deposition procedure by two-electrode system using platinum as the cathode electrode and a graphite foil as the anode electrode. The final product is an air stable hybrid element including Gr flakes hosting magnetic Ni-nano-crystals showing superparamagnetic-like response and room temperature giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect at small magnetic field range. The GMR effect is originated from spin scattering through ferromagnetic/non-magnetic nature of Ni/Gr heterostructure and interpreted based on a phenomenological spin transport model. Our work benefits from XRD, XPS, Raman, TEM, FTIR and VSM measurements We addressed that how our results can be used for rapid manufacturing of magnetic Gr for low field magneto resistive elements and potential printed spintronic devices., QC 20180220

For the first time, nanoporous Al2O3 templates with smoothed surface relief characterized by flattened interpore areas were used in the fabrication of Co/Pd and Co/Pt multilayers (MLs) with strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA). Alternating gradient magnetometry (AGM) revealed perfectly conserved PMA in the Co/Pd and Co/Pt porous MLs (antidot arrays) with a ratio of remanent magnetization (Mr) to saturation magnetization (MS) of about 0.99, anisotropy fields (Ha) of up to 2.6 kOe, and a small deviation angle of 8° between the easy magnetization axis and the normal to the film surface. The sufficient magnetic hardening of the porous MLs with enhanced coercive field HC of up to ∼1.9 kOe for Co/Pd and ∼1.5 kOe for Co/Pt MLs, as compared to the continuous reference samples (∼1.5–2 times), is associated with the pinning of the magnetic moments on the nanopore edges. Application of the Stoner–Wohlfarth model for fitting the experimental M/MS(H) curves yielded clear evidence of the predominantly coherent rotation mechanism of magnetization reversal in the porous films., QC 20171207

Spin torque nano-oscillators (STNO) represent a unique class of nano-scale microwave signal generators and offer a combination of intriguing properties, such as nano sized footprint, ultrafast modulation rates, and highly tunable microwave frequencies from 100 MHz to close to 100 GHz. However, their low output power and relatively high threshold current still limit their applicability and must be improved. In this study, we investigate the influence of the bottom Cu electrode thickness (t(Cu)) in nano-contact STNOs based on Co/Cu/NiFe GMR stacks and with nano-contact diameters ranging from 60 to 500 nm. Increasing t(Cu) from 10 to 70 nm results in a 40% reduction of the threshold current, an order of magnitude higher microwave output power, and close to two orders of magnitude better power conversion efficiency. Numerical simulations of the current distribution suggest that these dramatic improvements originate from a strongly reduced lateral current spread in the magneto-dynamically active region., QC 20170601

Recent experiments performed in current-driven nanocontacts with strong perpendicular anisotropy have shown that spin-transfer torque can drive self-localized spin waves [W. H. Rippard, A. M. Deac, M. R. Pufall, J. M. Shaw, M. W. Keller, S. E. Russek, G. E. W. Bauer, and C. Serpico, Phys. Rev. B 81, 014426 (2010); S. M. Mohseni, S. R. Sani, J. Persson, T. N. A. Nguyen, S. Chung, Y. Pogoryelov, and J. Akerman, Phys. Status Solidi RRL, 5, 432 (2011)], that above a certain intensity threshold can condense into a nanosized and highly nonlinear dynamic state known as a magnetic droplet soliton [S. M. Mohseni, S. R. Sani, J. Persson, T. N. A. Nguyen, S. Chung, Y. Pogoryelov, P. K. Muduli, E. Iacocca, A. Eklund, R. K. Dumas, S. Bonetti, A. Deac, M. A. Hoefer, and J. Akerman, Science 339, 1295 (2013)]. Here we demonstrate analytically, numerically, and experimentally that at sufficiently large driving currents and for a spin polarization direction tilted away from the normal to a nanocontact plane, the circular droplet soliton can become unstable against the excitations in the form of periodic deformations of its perimeter. We also show that these perimeter excitation modes (PEMs) can be excited parametrically when the fundamental droplet soliton precession frequency is close to the double frequency of one of the PEMs. As a consequence, with increasing magnitude of a bias magnetic field the PEMs with progressively higher indices and frequencies can be excited. Full qualitative and partly quantitative agreement with experiment confirm the presented theoretical picture., QC 20170210

The magnetization behavior, magnetic anisotropy, and domain configurations of Co/Pd multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy capped with permalloy is investigated using magnetometry, magnetic force microscopy, and ferromagnetic resonance. The thickness of the Ni80Fe20 layer in [Co/Pd][subscript 5]/NiFe (t) was varied from t=0 to 80 nm in order to study the interplay between the anisotropy and magnetization directions of Co/Pd and NiFe. By varying the thickness of the NiFe layer, the net anisotropy changes sign, but domains with plane-normal magnetization are present even for the thickest NiFe. Ferromagnetic resonance measurements show a decrease in damping with increasing NiFe thickness. The results demonstrate how the magnetic behavior of mixed-anisotropy thin films can be controlled.