Electrical detection of magnetic skyrmions in a magnetic tunnel junction

Yao Guang; Like Zhang; Junwei Zhang; Yadong Wang; Yuelei Zhao; Riccardo Tomasello; Senfu Zhang; Bin He; Jiahui Li; Yizhou Liu; Jiafeng Feng; Hongxiang Wei; Mario Carpentieri; Zhipeng Hou; Junming Liu; Yong Peng; Zhongming Zeng; Giovanni Finocchio; Xixiang Zhang; J. M. D. Coey; Xiufeng Han; Guoqiang Yu

Electrical detection of magnetic skyrmions in a magnetic tunnel junction

Yao Guang, Like Zhang, Junwei Zhang, Yadong Wang, Yuelei Zhao, Riccardo Tomasello, Senfu Zhang, Bin He, Jiahui Li, Yizhou Liu, Jiafeng Feng, Hongxiang Wei, Mario Carpentieri, Zhipeng Hou, Junming Liu, Yong Peng, Zhongming Zeng, Giovanni Finocchio, Xixiang Zhang, J. M. D. CoeyXiufeng Han, Guoqiang Yu

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28 Scopus citations

Abstract

Magnetic skyrmions are promising information carriers for dense and energy-efficient information storage owing to their small size, low driving-current density, and topological stability. Electrical detection of skyrmions is a crucial requirement to drive skyrmion devices towards applications. The use of a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) is commonly suggested for this purpose as MTJs are key spintronic devices for large-scale commercialization that can convert magnetic textures into electrical signals. To date, however, it has been challenging to realize skyrmions in MTJs due to incompatibility between standard skyrmion materials and highly-efficient MTJ electrodes. Here, we report a material stack combining magnetic multilayers, which host 100 nm scale skyrmions, with a perpendicularly magnetized MTJ. The devices are designed so that the skyrmions in the multilayer are imprinted into the MTJ’s free layer via magnetostatic interactions. The electrical response of a single skyrmion is successfully identified by employing simultaneous imaging of the magnetic texture and the electrical measurement of the MTJ resistance. The results are an important step towards all-electrical detection of skyrmions.

Original language	English (US)
Journal	Advanced Electronic Materials
State	Published - 2022

Bibliographical note

KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2022-09-09
Acknowledged KAUST grant number(s): CRF-2019-4081-CRG8
Acknowledgements: This work was supported by the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. Z190009), the Science Center of the National Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52088101), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants No. 11874409, 52161160334, 12174426), the K. C. Wong Education Foundation (Grant No. GJTD-2019-14), and the financial support of the Shenzhen Peacock Group Plan (Grant No. KQTD20180413181702403). G.F. and R.T. acknowledge the project “ThunderSKY,” funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI) and the General Secretariat for Research and Technology (GSRT), under grant agreement No. 871. G.F., M.C., and R.T. also acknowledge the research project No. PRIN 2020LWPKH7 funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research. X.X.Z. would like to acknowledge the financial support by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) under the Award No. CRF-2019-4081-CRG8.

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https://repository.kaust.edu.sa/bitstream/10754/681007/1/Manuscript%285%29.pdf

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Guang, Y., Zhang, L., Zhang, J., Wang, Y., Zhao, Y., Tomasello, R., Zhang, S., He, B., Li, J., Liu, Y., Feng, J., Wei, H., Carpentieri, M., Hou, Z., Liu, J., Peng, Y., Zeng, Z., Finocchio, G., Zhang, X., ... Yu, G. (2022). Electrical detection of magnetic skyrmions in a magnetic tunnel junction. Advanced Electronic Materials. https://repository.kaust.edu.sa/bitstream/10754/681007/1/Manuscript%285%29.pdf

@article{b5d821c849da4623aff20abfb0eb29f8,

title = "Electrical detection of magnetic skyrmions in a magnetic tunnel junction",

abstract = "Magnetic skyrmions are promising information carriers for dense and energy-efficient information storage owing to their small size, low driving-current density, and topological stability. Electrical detection of skyrmions is a crucial requirement to drive skyrmion devices towards applications. The use of a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) is commonly suggested for this purpose as MTJs are key spintronic devices for large-scale commercialization that can convert magnetic textures into electrical signals. To date, however, it has been challenging to realize skyrmions in MTJs due to incompatibility between standard skyrmion materials and highly-efficient MTJ electrodes. Here, we report a material stack combining magnetic multilayers, which host 100 nm scale skyrmions, with a perpendicularly magnetized MTJ. The devices are designed so that the skyrmions in the multilayer are imprinted into the MTJ{\textquoteright}s free layer via magnetostatic interactions. The electrical response of a single skyrmion is successfully identified by employing simultaneous imaging of the magnetic texture and the electrical measurement of the MTJ resistance. The results are an important step towards all-electrical detection of skyrmions.",

author = "Yao Guang and Like Zhang and Junwei Zhang and Yadong Wang and Yuelei Zhao and Riccardo Tomasello and Senfu Zhang and Bin He and Jiahui Li and Yizhou Liu and Jiafeng Feng and Hongxiang Wei and Mario Carpentieri and Zhipeng Hou and Junming Liu and Yong Peng and Zhongming Zeng and Giovanni Finocchio and Xixiang Zhang and Coey, {J. M. D.} and Xiufeng Han and Guoqiang Yu",

note = "KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2022-09-09 Acknowledged KAUST grant number(s): CRF-2019-4081-CRG8 Acknowledgements: This work was supported by the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. Z190009), the Science Center of the National Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52088101), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants No. 11874409, 52161160334, 12174426), the K. C. Wong Education Foundation (Grant No. GJTD-2019-14), and the financial support of the Shenzhen Peacock Group Plan (Grant No. KQTD20180413181702403). G.F. and R.T. acknowledge the project “ThunderSKY,” funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI) and the General Secretariat for Research and Technology (GSRT), under grant agreement No. 871. G.F., M.C., and R.T. also acknowledge the research project No. PRIN 2020LWPKH7 funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research. X.X.Z. would like to acknowledge the financial support by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) under the Award No. CRF-2019-4081-CRG8.",

year = "2022",

language = "English (US)",

journal = "Advanced Electronic Materials",

}

Guang, Y, Zhang, L, Zhang, J, Wang, Y, Zhao, Y, Tomasello, R, Zhang, S, He, B, Li, J, Liu, Y, Feng, J, Wei, H, Carpentieri, M, Hou, Z, Liu, J, Peng, Y, Zeng, Z, Finocchio, G, Zhang, X, Coey, JMD, Han, X & Yu, G 2022, 'Electrical detection of magnetic skyrmions in a magnetic tunnel junction', Advanced Electronic Materials. <https://repository.kaust.edu.sa/bitstream/10754/681007/1/Manuscript%285%29.pdf>

TY - JOUR

T1 - Electrical detection of magnetic skyrmions in a magnetic tunnel junction

AU - Guang, Yao

AU - Zhang, Like

AU - Zhang, Junwei

AU - Wang, Yadong

AU - Zhao, Yuelei

AU - Tomasello, Riccardo

AU - Zhang, Senfu

AU - He, Bin

AU - Li, Jiahui

AU - Liu, Yizhou

AU - Feng, Jiafeng

AU - Wei, Hongxiang

AU - Carpentieri, Mario

AU - Hou, Zhipeng

AU - Liu, Junming

AU - Peng, Yong

AU - Zeng, Zhongming

AU - Finocchio, Giovanni

AU - Zhang, Xixiang

AU - Coey, J. M. D.

AU - Han, Xiufeng

AU - Yu, Guoqiang

N1 - KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2022-09-09 Acknowledged KAUST grant number(s): CRF-2019-4081-CRG8 Acknowledgements: This work was supported by the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. Z190009), the Science Center of the National Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52088101), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants No. 11874409, 52161160334, 12174426), the K. C. Wong Education Foundation (Grant No. GJTD-2019-14), and the financial support of the Shenzhen Peacock Group Plan (Grant No. KQTD20180413181702403). G.F. and R.T. acknowledge the project “ThunderSKY,” funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI) and the General Secretariat for Research and Technology (GSRT), under grant agreement No. 871. G.F., M.C., and R.T. also acknowledge the research project No. PRIN 2020LWPKH7 funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research. X.X.Z. would like to acknowledge the financial support by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) under the Award No. CRF-2019-4081-CRG8.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Magnetic skyrmions are promising information carriers for dense and energy-efficient information storage owing to their small size, low driving-current density, and topological stability. Electrical detection of skyrmions is a crucial requirement to drive skyrmion devices towards applications. The use of a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) is commonly suggested for this purpose as MTJs are key spintronic devices for large-scale commercialization that can convert magnetic textures into electrical signals. To date, however, it has been challenging to realize skyrmions in MTJs due to incompatibility between standard skyrmion materials and highly-efficient MTJ electrodes. Here, we report a material stack combining magnetic multilayers, which host 100 nm scale skyrmions, with a perpendicularly magnetized MTJ. The devices are designed so that the skyrmions in the multilayer are imprinted into the MTJ’s free layer via magnetostatic interactions. The electrical response of a single skyrmion is successfully identified by employing simultaneous imaging of the magnetic texture and the electrical measurement of the MTJ resistance. The results are an important step towards all-electrical detection of skyrmions.

AB - Magnetic skyrmions are promising information carriers for dense and energy-efficient information storage owing to their small size, low driving-current density, and topological stability. Electrical detection of skyrmions is a crucial requirement to drive skyrmion devices towards applications. The use of a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) is commonly suggested for this purpose as MTJs are key spintronic devices for large-scale commercialization that can convert magnetic textures into electrical signals. To date, however, it has been challenging to realize skyrmions in MTJs due to incompatibility between standard skyrmion materials and highly-efficient MTJ electrodes. Here, we report a material stack combining magnetic multilayers, which host 100 nm scale skyrmions, with a perpendicularly magnetized MTJ. The devices are designed so that the skyrmions in the multilayer are imprinted into the MTJ’s free layer via magnetostatic interactions. The electrical response of a single skyrmion is successfully identified by employing simultaneous imaging of the magnetic texture and the electrical measurement of the MTJ resistance. The results are an important step towards all-electrical detection of skyrmions.

UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10754/681007

M3 - Article

JO - Advanced Electronic Materials

JF - Advanced Electronic Materials

ER -

Electrical detection of magnetic skyrmions in a magnetic tunnel junction

Abstract

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