Abstract
Switching of magnetization via spin-orbit torque provides an efficient alternative for nonvolatile memory and logic devices. However, to achieve deterministic switching of perpendicular magnetization, an external magnetic field collinear with the current is usually required, which makes these devices inappropriate for practical applications. In this work, we examine the current-induced magnetization switching in a perpendicularly magnetized exchange-biased Pt/CoFe/IrMn system. A magnetic field annealing technique is used to introduce in-plane exchange biases, which are quantitatively characterized. Under proper conditions, field-free current-driven switching is achieved. We study the Joule heating effect, and we show how it can decrease the in-plane exchange bias and degrade the field-free switching. Furthermore, we discuss that the exchange-bias training effect can have similar effects.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 024023 |
| Journal | Physical Review Applied |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 23 2017 |
Funding
This work is supported in part by C-SPIN and FAME, two of six centers of STARnet, a Semiconductor Research Corporation program sponsored by MARCO and DARPA. This work is also supported by the National Science Foundation (Grant No.ECCS 1611570) and Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Translational Applications of Nanoscale Multiferroic Systems Cooperative Agreement Grant No.EEC-1160504. We like to acknowledge the collaboration of this research with the King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and Technology via The Center of Excellence for Green Nanotechnologies. This work is supported as part of the SHINES Center, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences under Award No.S000686. D.W. and Z.Z.Z. thank for the support of the China Scholarship Council, the 973 Program (Grant No.2014CB921104), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China Grant No.11474067. Y.-C.L., P.S., and J.M.D.C. acknowledge the support by Science Foundation Ireland through AMBER and by Grant No. 13/ERC/I2561. In addition, G.Q.Y. acknowledges Junyang Chen for fruitful discussions.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Physics and Astronomy