Local anisotropy control of Pt/Co/Ir thin film with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy by surface acoustic waves
- 1. School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- 2. Department of Applied Physics, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
- 3. School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
Description
The control of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in thin films by strain has considerable potential for energyefficient
information storage and data processing. Here, we report on the control of PMA in Pt/Co/Ir thin films by
the strain produced by standing surface acoustic waves (SAWs). A significant (⇠21%) coercivity reduction (from
4.80±0.03 mT to 3.80±0.02 mT) can be obtained by applying a standing SAW with a centre frequency of 93.35
MHz. Furthermore, the standing SAWs induce a greater-than eleven-fold increase in magnetisation reversal speed
(from 168±3 μm2/s to up to 2100±80 μm2/s) at 3.2 mT for a total applied RF power of 22.5 dBm. During application
of SAWs, wide-field Kerr microscopy reveals the formation of domains in stripes with a periodicity of half of the SAW
wavelength. Micromagnetic simulations indicate that the anti-nodes of the standing SAW locally lower the anisotropy
due to the magneto-elastic coupling effect, decreasing domain nucleation field while promoting magnetisation reversal.
Our study suggests the possibility of remote and energy-efficient control of magnetization switching using SAWs.
Files
Shuai_APL-2022.pdf
Files
(5.1 MB)
| Name | Size | Download all |
|---|---|---|
|
md5:97243a6d8c93659c613491d911bbef53
|
5.1 MB | Preview Download |