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Integration of Tb/Co multilayers within optically switchable perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions

Authors :
L. Avilés-Félix
L. Álvaro-Gómez
G. Li
C. S. Davies
A. Olivier
M. Rubio-Roy
S. Auffret
A. Kirilyuk
A. V. Kimel
Th. Rasing
L. D. Buda-Prejbeanu
R. C. Sousa
B. Dieny
I. L. Prejbeanu
Source :
AIP Advances, Vol 9, Iss 12, Pp 125328-125328-5 (2019)
Publication Year :
2019
Publisher :
AIP Publishing LLC, 2019.

Abstract

This work reports the development of perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions, based on a multilayered stack of [Tb/Co] nanolayers, in which the magnetization can be reliably toggled using a single optical pulse. The helicity-independent single-shot switching of the magnetization in the Tb/Co multilayered stack was achieved using either 60 fs-long or 5 ps laser pulses with incident fluences down to 4.7 mJ/cm2. The magnetic switching was achieved for a Co-rich composition window of the multilayer corresponding to layer thickness ratios tCo/tTb between 1.3-1.5. This was confirmed for the multilayer alone as well as for the multilayer coupled to aCoFeB electrode, with a structure consisting of CoFeB/Ta/[Tb/Co]N. The optical switching is preserved even after annealing at 250°C in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) electrodes, exhibiting a tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) of 41% and RxA value of 150 Ωμm after its integration, measured on unpatterned MTJ stacks. These results represent the first step towards the development of hybrid spintronic photonic systems with fJ switching energies.

Subjects

Subjects :
Physics
QC1-999

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
21583226
Volume :
9
Issue :
12
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
AIP Advances
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.7f02a891aadb4606bda939af7864c487
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5129821