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Ratchet devices allow turning an ac input signal into a dc output signal. A ratchet device is set by moving particles driven by zero averages forces on asymmetric potentials. Hybrid nanostructures combining artificially fabricated spin ice nanomagnet arrays with superconducting films have been identified as a good choice to develop ratchet nanodevices. In the current device, the asymmetric potentials are provided by charged Néel walls located in the vertices of spin ice magnetic honeycomb array, whereas the role of moving particles is played by superconducting vortices. We have experimentally obtained ratchet effect for different spin ice I configurations and for vortex lattice moving parallel or perpendicular to magnetic easy axes. Remarkably, the ratchet magnitudes are similar in all the experimental runs; i. e. different spin ice I configurations and in both relevant directions of the vortex lattice motion. We have simulated the interplay between vortex motion directions and a single asymmetric potential. It turns out vortices interact with uneven asymmetric potentials, since they move with trajectories crossing charged Néel walls with different orientations. Moreover, we have found out the asymmetric pair potentials which generate the local ratchet effect. In this rocking ratchet the particles (vortices) on the move are interacting each other (vortex lattice); therefore, the ratchet local effect turns into a global macroscopic effect. In summary, this ratchet device benefits from interacting particles moving in robust and topological protected type I spin ice landscapes.

Little–Parks effect names the oscillations in the superconducting critical temperature as a function of the magnetic field. This effect is related to the geometry of the sample. In this work, we show that this effect can be enhanced and manipulated by the inclusion of magnetic nanostructures with perpendicular magnetization. These magnetic nanodots generate stray fields with enough strength to produce superconducting vortex–antivortex pairs. So that, the L–P effect deviation from the usual geometrical constrictions is due to the interplay between local magnetic stray fields and superconducting vortices. Moreover, we compare our results with a low-stray field sample (i.e. with the dots in magnetic vortex state) showing how the enhancement of the L–P effect can be explained by an increment of the effective size of the nanodots.

The development of multilayered materials with engineered magnetic properties compels a deep knowledge of physical properties at the atomic scale. The magnetic anisotropy is a key property in these materials. This work accounts for the magnetic anisotropy energy and its correlation with atomic properties of Co/Pd multilayers with the number of Co/Pd repetitions. Magnetometry measurements confirm stronger perpendicular magnetic anisotropy energies as the number of repetitions increases up to 40. However, the intrinsic anisotropy, related to the Co–Pd orbital hybridization and spin–orbit coupling, saturates at 15 repetitions. This finding is supported by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism analysis that reveals a direct correlation of the atomic Co and Pd orbital magnetic moments and the effective anisotropy of the system. The proximity effect that accounts for the Pd induced magnetization, along with the increasing Co moment, provides a suitable mechanism for the observed anisotropy energy layer dependence.

Resumen del trabajo presentado al American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting, celebrado del 4 al 8 de 2019 en Boston, Massachusetts (USA).

Co/Pd multilayers can exhibit perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) for ultrathin thicknesses of Co and Pd layers. The PMA magnitude depends on several parameters, as the thickness of each constituent layer, the quality of the Co-Pd interface, the crystallinity of the film, or the total number of layers. In this work we present the PMA dependence with the number of Co/Pd repetitions. Such dependence was investigated by magnetometry and synchrotron light techniques. Magnetization curves obtained by SQUID magnetometer provide macroscopic parameters, as the interfacial and effective anisotropy of the multilayers, or the net magnetization of the sample. In addition, x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) reveal microscopic details, as the anisotropy of the atomic angular momentum, the magnitude of the Co spin moment, or the hybridization of Co-Pd orbitals at the interface. Both kinds of results are combined to show a clear picture of the PMA evolution with the number of repetitions. A correlation between macroscopic and microscopic parameters is established in the whole range of thicknesses, from 2 to 40 Co/Pd repetitions.

We have designed, fabricated and tested a robust superconducting ratchet device based on topologically frustrated spin ice nanomagnets. The device is made of a magnetic Co honeycomb array embedded in a superconducting Nb film. This device is based on three simple mechanisms: (i) the topology of the Co honeycomb array frustrates in-plane magnetic configurations in the array yielding a distribution of magnetic charges which can be ordered or disordered with in-plane magnetic fields, following spin ice rules; (ii) the local vertex magnetization, which consists of a magnetic half vortex with two charged magnetic Néel walls; (iii) the interaction between superconducting vortices and the asymmetric potentials provided by the Néel walls. The combination of these elements leads to a superconducting ratchet effect. Thus, superconducting vortices driven by alternating forces and moving on magnetic half vortices generate a unidirectional net vortex flow. This ratchet effect is independent of the distribution of magnetic charges in the array.

We have studied two nanomagnet systems with strong (Co/Pd multilayers) and weak (NdCo alloy films) stray magnetic fields by probing the out-of-plane magnetic states with superconducting vortices. The hybrid samples are made of array of nanomagnets embedded in superconducting Nb thin films. The vortex motion detects relevant magnetic state features, since superconducting vortices are able to discriminate between different magnetic stray field strengths and directions. The usual matching effect between the superconducting vortex lattice and the periodic pinning array can be quenched by means of disorder magnetic potentials with strong stray fields at random. Ordered stray fields retrieve the matching effect and yield asymmetry and shift in the vortex dissipation signal. Furthermore vortices can discriminate the sizes of the nanomagnet magnetic domains, detecting magnetic domain sizes as small as 70 nm. In addition, we observe that the vortex cores play the crucial role instead of the supercurrents around the vortex.

Vortex lattice dynamics is investigated in the adiabatic regime in superconducting/magnetic nanostructures for strong and weak asymmetric pinning potentials, provided by a rectangular array of Ni triangles and a kagomé-like array of Ni dots, respectively. The AC voltage response of the AC-driven superconducting vortex lattice is measured in addition to the DC voltage response. The results allow us to link voltage rectification effects with the vortex lattice dynamics. In particular, for the weaker pinning kagomé-like array, a high-temperature zero critical current regime is identified, in which both AC and DC voltage responses can be described in terms of a simple model of thermal activation of single vortices over finite asymmetric barriers. © 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Arrays of Ni nanodots embedded in Nb superconducting films have been fabricated by sputtering and electron beam lithography techniques. The arrays are periodic triangular lattices of circular Ni dots arranged in a kagom´e-like pattern with broken reflection symmetry. DC magnetoresistance shows several fractional matching field minima below the first matching field for vortex motion parallel and perpendicular to the array reflection symmetry. AC magnetoresistance shows reversal ratchet effect when the vortex lattice moves parallel to the array reflection symmetry. These effects could be understood taking into account the vortex lattice density.

Arrays of Ni nanodots embedded in Nb superconducting films have been fabricated by sputtering and electron-beam lithography techniques. The arrays are periodic triangular lattices of circular Ni dots arranged in a kagomélike pattern with broken reflection symmetry. Relevant behaviors are found in the vortex lattice dynamics: (i) at values lower than the first integer matching field, several fractional matching fields are present when the vortex lattice moves parallel or perpendicular to the reflection symmetry axis of the array showing a clear anisotropic character in the magnetoresistance curves, (ii) injecting an ac perpendicular to the reflection symmetry axis of the array yields an unidirectional motion of the vortex lattice (ratchet effect) as a result of the interaction between the whole vortex lattice and the asymmetric lattice of dots, (iii) increasing the input current amplitudes the ratchet effect changes polarity independently of matching field values. These experimental results can be explained taking into account the vortex lattice density.

The superconducting and magnetic properties of a-CoxSi1−x /Nb bilayers have been studied as a function of Co content in order to analyze the superconducting/ferromagnetic proximity effect in a system with strong disorder in the magnetic layers. As Co atoms become more diluted, the magnetization of the amorphous a-CoxSi1−x alloy decreases gradually, whereas their resistivity increases and enters in a weak localization regime. The superconducting transition temperatures of the a-CoxSi1−x /Nb bilayers follow a decreasing trend as Co content is reduced, reaching the lowest value at the boundary between the ferromagnetic-nonmagnetic amorphous phases. These results can be understood in terms of the increase in interface transparency together with the changes in the spin-flip scattering term as magnetic disorder increases and the amorphous a-CoxSi1−x layers loose their magnetic character.

Superconducting a-Mo3Si and Nb films have been grown on arrays of Ni nanodots. We have studied the vortex lattice dynamics close to critical temperatures. Different vortex lattice configurations are obtained with the same array unit cell. These different vortex lattices occur at matching conditions between the vortex lattice and the array unit cell. The interplay between the random intrinsic pinning of the superconducting films and the periodic pinning of the array govern the vortex lattice configurations. Different vortex lattice configurations and enhancement of synchronized vortex lattice motion are obtained by increasing the periodic pinning strength and decreasing the random pinning strength.

This review is dedicated to summarizing the recent research on vortex dynamics and pinning effects in superconducting films with artificial magnetic structures. The fabrication of hybrid superconducting/magnetic systems is presented together with the wide variety of properties that arise from the interaction between the superconducting vortex lattice and the artificial magnetic nanostructures. Specifically, we review the role that the most important parameters in the vortex dynamics of films with regular array of dots play. In particular, we discuss the phenomena that appear when the symmetry of a regular dot array is distorted from regularity towards complete disorder including rectangular, asymmetric, and aperiodic arrays. The interesting phenomena that appear include vortex-lattice reconfigurations, anisotropic dynamics, channeling, and guided motion as well as ratchet effects. The different regimes are summarized in a phase diagram indicating the transitions that take place as the characteristic distances of the array are modified respect to the superconducting coherence length. Future directions are sketched out indicating the vast open area of research in this field.