Controlling Domain Wall Pinning in Planar Nanowires by Selecting Domain Wall Type and its Application in a Memory Concept

Atkinson, D.; Eastwood, D.S.; Bogart, L.K.

Abstract

Here, we report on the control of domain wall pinning at notch features patterned in Permalloy planar nanowires by selecting the micromagnetic configuration of the domain wall using a transverse magnetic field. The domain wall behavior was investigated both experimentally using focused magneto-optic Kerr effect measurements of lithographically patterned nanowires and with micromagnetic simulations. The pinning behavior observed is utilized in a concept for multibit memory cells applicable as the free layer in magnetic random access memory where the domain structure is defined by the location of domain walls that either pin or passby pinning structures depending upon the domain wall configuration selected.

Citation

Atkinson, D., Eastwood, D., & Bogart, L. (2008). Controlling Domain Wall Pinning in Planar Nanowires by Selecting Domain Wall Type and its Application in a Memory Concept. Applied Physics Letters, 92(2), Article 022510. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2832771

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 14, 2008
• Deposit Date: Feb 3, 2012
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 29, 2012
• Journal: Applied Physics Letters
• Print ISSN: 0003-6951
• Electronic ISSN: 1077-3118
• Publisher: American Institute of Physics
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 92
• Issue: 2
• Article Number: 022510
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2832771
• Keywords: Kerr magneto-optical effect, Magnetic domain walls, Nanowires, Permalloy, Random-access storage.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1484411