|
1
|
Zhang X, Cai W, Zhang X, Wang Z, Li Z, Zhang Y, Cao K, Lei N, Kang W, Zhang Y, Yu H, Zhou Y, Zhao W. Skyrmions in Magnetic Tunnel Junctions. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2018; 10:16887-16892. [PMID: 29682962 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b03812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we demonstrate that skyrmions can be nucleated in the free layer of a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions (DMIs) by a spin-polarized current with the assistance of stray fields from the pinned layer. The size, stability, and number of created skyrmions can be tuned by either the DMI strength or the stray field distribution. The interaction between the stray field and the DMI effective field is discussed. A device with multilevel tunneling magnetoresistance is proposed, which could pave the ways for skyrmion-MTJ-based multibit storage and artificial neural network computation. Our results may facilitate the efficient nucleation and electrical detection of skyrmions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xueying Zhang
- Fert Beijing Institute, BDBC, School of Electronic and Information Engineering , Beihang University , Beijing 100191 , China
- Beihang-Goertek Joint Microelectronics Institute, Qingdao Research Institute , Beihang University , Qingdao 266101 , China
| | - Wenlong Cai
- Fert Beijing Institute, BDBC, School of Electronic and Information Engineering , Beihang University , Beijing 100191 , China
| | - Xichao Zhang
- School of Science and Engineering , The Chinese University of Hong Kong , Shenzhen 518172 , China
| | - Zilu Wang
- Fert Beijing Institute, BDBC, School of Electronic and Information Engineering , Beihang University , Beijing 100191 , China
| | - Zhi Li
- Fert Beijing Institute, BDBC, School of Electronic and Information Engineering , Beihang University , Beijing 100191 , China
- Beihang-Goertek Joint Microelectronics Institute, Qingdao Research Institute , Beihang University , Qingdao 266101 , China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Fert Beijing Institute, BDBC, School of Electronic and Information Engineering , Beihang University , Beijing 100191 , China
| | - Kaihua Cao
- Fert Beijing Institute, BDBC, School of Electronic and Information Engineering , Beihang University , Beijing 100191 , China
| | - Na Lei
- Fert Beijing Institute, BDBC, School of Electronic and Information Engineering , Beihang University , Beijing 100191 , China
- Beihang-Goertek Joint Microelectronics Institute, Qingdao Research Institute , Beihang University , Qingdao 266101 , China
| | - Wang Kang
- Fert Beijing Institute, BDBC, School of Electronic and Information Engineering , Beihang University , Beijing 100191 , China
| | - Yue Zhang
- Fert Beijing Institute, BDBC, School of Electronic and Information Engineering , Beihang University , Beijing 100191 , China
| | - Haiming Yu
- Fert Beijing Institute, BDBC, School of Electronic and Information Engineering , Beihang University , Beijing 100191 , China
| | - Yan Zhou
- School of Science and Engineering , The Chinese University of Hong Kong , Shenzhen 518172 , China
| | - Weisheng Zhao
- Fert Beijing Institute, BDBC, School of Electronic and Information Engineering , Beihang University , Beijing 100191 , China
- Beihang-Goertek Joint Microelectronics Institute, Qingdao Research Institute , Beihang University , Qingdao 266101 , China
| |
Collapse
|