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Bulk perpendicular magnetic anisotropy materials are proposed to be a promising candidate for next-generation ultrahigh density and ultralow energy-consumption spintronic devices. In this work, we experimentally investigate the structure, thermal stability, and magnetic properties of FePd thin films seeded by a Ru layer. An fcc-phase Ru layer induces the highly-ordered L1(0)-phase FePd thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (K(u) ~ 10.1 Merg/cm(3)). The thermal stability of FePd samples is then studied through the annealing process. It is found that a K(u) ~ 6.8 Merg/cm(3) can be obtained with the annealing temperature of 500 °C. In addition, the damping constant α, an important parameter for switching current density, is determined as a function of the testing temperature. We observe that α increases from 0.006 to 0.009 for as-deposited FePd sample and from 0.006 to 0.012 for 400 °C-annealed FePd sample as the testing temperature changes from 25 °C to 150 °C. These results suggest that Ru-seeded FePd provides great potential in scaling perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions below 10 nm for applications in ultralow energy-consumption spintronic devices.

Unidirectional spin Hall magnetoresistance (USMR) is a magnetoresistance effect with potential applications to read two-terminal spin–orbit-torque (SOT) devices directly. In this work, we observed a large USMR value (up to 0.7 × 10−11 per A/cm2, 50% larger than reported values from heavy metals) in sputtered amorphous PtSn4/CoFeB bilayers. Ta/CoFeB bilayers with interfacial MgO insertion layers are deposited as control samples. The control experiments show that increasing the interfacial resistance can increase the USMR value, which is the case in PtSn4/CoFeB bilayers. The observation of a large USMR value in an amorphous spin–orbit-torque material has provided an alternative pathway for USMR application in two-terminal SOT devices.

In this work, we study the effects of mobile oxygen ions in a synthetic antiferromagnet structure gated by a sputtered SiO2 dielectric layer for memory and logic applications. Our devices utilize electrochemical reactions between dielectric reactive species and magnetic elements to create irreversible changes in magnetization. We analyzed the dependence of ion velocity on the gate dielectric properties such as the lattice parameter, oxygen migration energy barrier, and electric field (E-field). Hall bar devices were patterned and tested to determine the interlayer exchange coupling between the CoFeB and [Co/Pd]n layers. The anomalous Hall effect (AHE) of the CoFeB layer at different gate voltages (Vg) was measured to determine the Vg dependence. A sharp change in the behavior of the CoFeB layer with respect to negative Vg results in a non-reciprocal decrease in the coercivity and magnetization and an increase in exchange bias. The observed change in exchange bias field and magnetization allows us to measure the change in the effective thickness of the CoFeB layer. This led us to conclude that the source of such behavior is the negatively charged mobile oxygen ions from the SiO2 gate.

Bulk perpendicular magnetic anisotropy materials are proposed to be a promising candidate for next-generation ultrahigh density and ultralow energy-consumption spintronic devices. In this work, we experimentally investigate the structure, thermal stability, and magnetic properties of FePd thin films seeded by an Ru layer. An fcc-phase Ru layer induces the highly-ordered L10-phase FePd thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (Ku ∼10.1 Merg/cm3). The thermal stability of FePd samples is then studied through the annealing process. It is found that a Ku ∼6.8 Merg/cm3 can be obtained with an annealing temperature of 500 °C. In addition, the Gilbert damping constant α, an important parameter for switching current density, is determined as a function of the testing temperature. We observe that α increases from 0.006 to 0.009 for the as-deposited FePd sample and from 0.006 to 0.012 for the 400 °C-annealed FePd sample as the testing temperature changes from 25 °C to 150 °C. These results suggest that Ru-seeded FePd provides great potential in scaling perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions below 10 nm for applications in ultralow energy-consumption spintronic devices.

Fe16N2 thin films possess high saturation magnetization (Ms) and high magnetic crystalline anisotropy (Ku) simultaneously. For application in magnetic recording and electrical machine, soft magnetic materials with high Ms and low Ku are desirable. In this report, carbon was doped into FeN thin films. Fe-CN martensite thin films, also named “Minnealloy,” were fabricated by a facing target sputtering system. The Fe-CN martensite phase was detected by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) measurements confirmed the high Ms property even though ordered Fe-CN was not formed. An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study was carried out to reveal the carbon and nitrogen electronic environment. The Ku value was obtained from the M-H loop and the law to approach saturation with reasonable consistency around 1–2 × 106 erg/cc, which is about five to ten times smaller than that of the ordered Fe16N2 thin film (1–2 × 107 erg/cc). The combination of high Ms and low saturation fields makes the Fe-CN martensite thin film a potential candidate for the magnetic write head and other applications.

We investigated spin-to-charge current conversion in sputtered Y3Fe5O12 (YIG)/granular bismuth selenide (GBS) bi-layers at room temperature. The spin current is pumped to the GBS layer by the precession of magnetization at ferromagnetic resonance in the YIG layer. The spin-mixing conductance is determined to be as large as (13.64 ± 1.32) × 1018 m−2, which is larger than that of YIG/Pt and comparable or better than that of YIG/crystalline bismuth selenide indicating that GBS is a good spin-sink. The figure of merit of spin-to-charge conversion, the inverse Edelstein effect length ( λIEE), is estimated to be as large as (0.11 ± 0.03) nm. λIEE shows GBS film thickness dependence, and its value is three times as large as in crystalline bismuth selenide. The λIEE value larger than that of crystalline bismuth selenide and other topological insulators indicates that the spin-to-charge conversion is due to the spin-momentum locking. As the thickness of GBS increases, λIEE decreases, which means the figure-of-merit of spin-to-charge conversion is influenced by grain size.

Magnetic storage and magnetic memory have recently shifted towards the use of magnetic thin films with large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) to simultaneously satisfy the requirements in storage density and thermal stability. Understanding the magnetic switching process and its dependence on the Gilbert damping (α) of materials with large PMA is crucial for developing low-power consumption, fast-switching, and high-thermal stability devices. The need to quantify α of materials with large PMA has resulted in the development of the all-optical ultrafast Time-Resolved Magneto-optical Kerr Effect (TR-MOKE) technique. While TR-MOKE has demonstrated its capability of capturing magnetization dynamics of materials with large PMA, a quantitative analysis regarding the operational optimization of this emerging technique is still lacking. In this paper, we discuss the dependence of the TR-MOKE signal on the magnitude and angle of the applied field, by utilizing a numerical algorithm based on the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. The optimized operational conditions that produce the largest TR-MOKE signals are predicted. As an experimental verification, we conduct TR-MOKE measurements on a representative sample of a tungsten-seeded CoFeB PMA thin film to show the excellent agreement of the model prediction with measurements. Our analysis results in a better understanding of the external field influence on the magnetization precession processes. The results of this work can also provide guidance on selecting operational conditions of the TR-MOKE technique to achieve optimal signal-to-noise ratios and thus more accurate measurements of magnetization dynamics.

Metastable α″-Fe16N2 has attracted much interest as a candidate for rare-earth-free hard magnetic materials. We demonstrate that Fe16N2 thin films were grown epitaxially on Cr seed layers with MgO (001) substrates by facing-target sputtering. Good crystallinity with the epitaxial relation MgO (001)[110] ∥ Cr (001)[100] ∥ Fe16N2 (001)[100] was obtained. The chemical order parameter, which quantifies the degree of N ordering in the Fe16N2 (the N-disordered phase is α′-Fe8N martensite), reaches 0.75 for Cr-seeded samples. Cr has a perfect lattice constant match with Fe16N2, and no noticeable strain can be assigned to Fe16N2. The intrinsic saturation magnetization of this non-strained Fe16N2 thin film at room temperature is determined to be 2.31 T by polarized neutron reflectometry and confirmed with vibrating sample magnetometry. Our work provides a platform to directly study the magnetic properties of high purity Fe16N2 films with a high order parameter.

Fe4N thin films with (001) texture were prepared by reactive sputtering on MgO substrates, utilizing either a Cr or Ag buffer layer to facilitate the epitaxial growth. X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry measurements show that the Fe4N thin film grown on the Ag buffer layer is superior to that grown on the Cr buffer layer. The point contact Andreev reflection measurement was then conducted, and the spin polarizations were determined to be 61.1% and 81.3% for Fe4N thin films with Cr and Ag buffer layers, respectively. The 81.3% spin polarization is significantly higher than the ratio reported previously for Fe4N and is comparable with that of state-of-the-art Heusler alloys. This result is in agreement with the theoretical prediction on the discrepancy between the two differently defined spin polarizations for Fe4N. Moreover, our study indicates that an optimized growth process for Fe4N thin films is crucial for achieving a high spin polarization and that true half-metallicity could potentially be realized with Fe4N. The high spin polarization of Fe4N combined with its low fabrication temperature and simple composition makes Fe4N a competitive candidate to be a half-metallic ferromagnet in spintronic devices.

We studied the tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) of L10-FePd perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (p-MTJs) with an FePd free layer and an inserted diffusion barrier. The diffusion barriers studied here (Ta and W) were shown to enhance the TMR ratio of the p-MTJs formed using high-temperature annealing, which are necessary for the formation of high quality L10-FePd films and MgO barriers. The L10-FePd p-MTJ stack was developed with an FePd free layer with a stack of FePd/X/Co20Fe60B20, where X is the diffusion barrier, and patterned into micron-sized MTJ pillars. The addition of the diffusion barrier was found to greatly enhance the magneto-transport behavior of the L10-FePd p-MTJ pillars such that those without a diffusion barrier exhibited negligible TMR ratios (

We report a thorough crystal and transport characterization of sputtered polycrystalline BixSe1−x (20 nm), grown on a thermally oxidized silicon substrate. The crystal and grain structures of the sample are characterized by transmission electron microscopy. Selected-area electron diffraction shows a highly polycrystalline structure. Transport measurements suggest semiconducting behavior of the BixSe1−x film with a very high carrier concentration (∼1020 cm3) and low mobility [∼8 cm2/(V s)]. High-field magnetoresistance measurements reveal weak antilocalization, to which both the low mobility and the angular dependence suggest an impurity-dominated contribution. Fitting parameters are obtained from 2D magnetoconductivity using the Hikami-Larkin-Nagaoka equation. The variation of the phase coherence length with temperature suggests electron–electron scattering for phase decoherence. Electron–electron interaction theory is used to analyze the low-temperature conductivity.

Spin-orbit torque (SOT) induced magnetization switching has become a research focus in spintronics because it enables energy-efficient switching. There have been several experiments realizing field-free SOT-induced magnetization switching of materials with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in a bilayer system, either using thin Co(Fe) and CoFeB layers with interfacial PMA or using Co/Ni multilayers. All of these stacks are ferromagnets with large saturation magnetization (MS). Here, we demonstrate SOT switching in a multilayer stack of CoFeB/Gd/CoFeB. This stack shows a good PMA and a low MS (370 ± 20 emu/cm3), where CoFeB and Gd layers are antiferromagnetically exchange-coupled with each other. SOT induced magnetization switching has been demonstrated in this stack at zero magnetic field with a switching current density of ∼9.6 × 106 A/cm2 by using antiferromagnetic PtMn as the spin Hall channel material. The spin Hall angle of PtMn was also determined to be ∼0.084 ± 0.005 by performing a second harmonic Hall measurement. This layer structure is compatible with perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (p-MTJs), which could enable field-free three-terminal p-MTJs and lead to memory and logic devices based on SOT.

We report the demonstration of picosecond Fresnel imaging with an ultrafast transmission electron microscope (UEM). By operating with a low instrument repetition rate (5 kHz) and without objective-lens excitation, the picosecond demagnetization of an FePt film, via in situ, femtosecond laser excitation, is directly imaged. The dynamics are quantified and monitored as a time-dependent change in the degree of electron coherence within the magnetic domain walls. The relative coherence of conventional (thermionic) Fresnel transmission electron microscopy is also directly compared to that of Fresnel UEM through the domain-wall size. Further, the robustness and reversibility of the domain-wall dynamics are illustrated by repeating the picosecond image scans at defocus values having the same magnitude but different signs (e.g., +25 mm vs. −25 mm). Control experiments and approaches to identifying and isolating systematic errors and sources of artifacts are also described. This work, and continued future developm...

To overcome the high sensitivity of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to the switching field distribution in the perpendicular media, we proposed to use tilted media in the perpendicular recording system in this letter. It was found that a much better tolerance of the easy-axis distribution could be achieved when tilted media were used instead of perpendicular media in a perpendicular recording system. We then analyzed the range of the switching field at the freezing points, and found that high Ku magnetic material is feasible in tilted media. The results indicated that the areal density could be more than 62% higher than that of perpendicular media when 45° easy-axis tilted media with Ku=7.0×106 erg/cm3 were used. Finally, simulation of the switching dynamics revealed that a much faster magnetization switching could be achieved in 45°-tilted media than in perpendicular media.

Epitaxial Fe50Pt50 (30 nm) magnetic thin films were sputter-deposited on Cu (001) single crystal substrate. The fct L10 ordered FePt (200)〈001〉∥Cu (002)〈100〉 epitaxial relationship was observed using high-resolution x-ray scattering. The L10 ordered FePt film sputtered at 400 °C with well-controlled easy-axis distribution (full width at half-maximum=2.36°), small grain size (10 nm), and high in-plane coercivity (4.4 kOe) is a potential candidate for ultrahigh-density longitudinal magnetic recording media.

There has been some disagreement in observation of the effect of oriented media on the recording performance from earlier and recent studies. In this letter, we have identified the reasons behind these disagreements by studying the effect of the energy ratio of local anisotropy (Ku) and long range magnetostatic interaction energies (Kd) (Q=Ku/Kd). The magnetization reversal mechanism is observed to be different in the recorded bit transition of different magnetic properties (Q) of the media. The results on the effect of Q and the linear density of various oriented media are presented and discussed in detail. It is observed that the transition for high Q media does not follow arctan transition form. Oriented high Q media show better recording performance than isotropic media, even at higher linear density.

L10 ordered FePt films with (200) or (001) preferred orientations and longitudinal or perpendicular anisotropy have been prepared by dc magnetron sputtering. Different base pressures for sputtering were controlled by air feeding. The fct-FePt film exhibits (200) preferred orientation and has longitudinal anisotropy at the base pressure of 4×10−6 Torr. As the base pressure is improved (below 9×10−7 Torr), the fct-FePt films exhibit (001) preferred orientation and has perpendicular anisotropy. When the CrRu underlayer thickness decreases from 80 to 30 nm, an improved fct-FePt (001) orientation is obtained. The atmospheric constituents such as oxygen and nitrogen play an important role in controlling the crystallographic orientation and axis of magnetic anisotropy.

In situ ordered FePt thin films with face-centered-tetragonal (fct)-(001) texture have been prepared by magnetron sputtering the FePt layer onto the Cr100−xRux underlayer at relatively low temperature. The dependence of FePt texture on the Ru content in the Cr underlayer and the substrate temperature is investigated. Addition of Ru in Cr underlayer results in the formation of the FePt ordered phase in a lower substrate temperature (350 °C) with c-axis orientation perpendicular to the film plane. Good perpendicular magnetic properties are obtained in films with Cr91Ru9 underlayer. A thin Pt intermediate layer is introduced between the FePt layer and the CrRu underlayer, which is found to effectively resist the Cr diffusion from the CrRu underlayer into the FePt layer and results in better FePt fct-(001) texture and improved magnetic properties.

A layered structure to improve the antiferromagnetic exchange coupling constant (J) in laminated antiferromagnetically coupled (LAC) media is proposed. This structure has a much larger thermal stability in comparison to simple LAC structures. It also improves the coercivity and decreases the remnant moment-thickness product to achieve a high resolution and a low pulse width. The recording measurements indicate that this structure has a slightly larger noise than the simple LAC structures. However, its overall signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is comparable to that of the simple LAC structures. High SNR and much higher thermal stability make this structure suitable for ultrahigh areal densities.

Experimental methods to obtain remnant moment-thickness product (Mrδ) reduction in the laminated antiferromagnetically coupled (LAC) recording media is described. The results indicate that the reduction in Mrδ (or, indirectly, a reduction in noise) can be obtained by altering the antiferromagnetic coupling constant J, or by the parameters of the underlayer such as anisotropy constant (Ku2), thickness (t2), etc. A method to enhance J by intrinsic means is proposed by which a high exchange field of about 1900 Oe can be obtained. Thermal energy has been found to help in obtaining a Mrδ reduction in LAC media. Substrates with lower surface roughness also enhance the Mrδ reduction.

Contribution of thermal energy, has been included in the micromagnetic simulation of laminated antiferromagnetically coupled (LAC) media. The antiferromagnetic coupling constant, J, required to obtain Mrt reduction in the existing simulation studies (T=0 K) of LAC media is much higher than the experimental values. In this letter, we describe some experimental results, which point out that the contribution of thermal energy in Mrt reduction is significant. Consequently, we find that the values of J and the reversal fields are comparable to the experimental results, when thermal energy (T=300 K) is included in the simulation.

An unexplained surface anisotropy effect was observed and confirmed in the magnetization reversal process of both L10 phase FePt nanoparticles with octahedral shape and (001) textured L10 FePt thin films with island nanostructures. We suggest that the nature of the observed surface effect is caused by broken symmetry on the FePt surface, which results in weakened exchange coupling for surface atoms. Furthermore, we propose, and experimentally demonstrate, a method to repair the broken symmetry by capping the FePt islands with a Pt layer, which could prove invaluable in understanding fundamental limitations of magnetic nanostructures.

Superparamagnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been utilized in biomedical sensing, detection, therapeutics, and diagnostics due to their unique magnetic response under different driving fields. In this letter, we report a multi-tracer tracking method that uses different kinds of MNPs as magnetic tracers along with two alternating magnetic fields that can be potentially used to build magnetic-based flow cytometry. By applying two driving fields at frequency fH and fL to MNPs, the response signal is measured at the combinatorial frequencies such as fH±2fL (3rd harmonics), fH±4fL (5th harmonics), fH±6fL (7th harmonics), and so on. Each MNP has its own signature of phase and amplitude, and it is possible to differentiate individual MNPs in a mixture. We theoretically demonstrated colorizing up to 4-MNP tracers in one mixture with an error rate lower than 10%. The performance of multi-tracer imaging can be optimized by increasing the driving field frequency, choosing MNPs with higher saturation magnetization, a...

Ultrafast all-optical switching of the magnetization of various magnetic systems is an intriguing phenomenon that can have tremendous impact on information storage and processing. Here, we demonstrate all-optical switching of GdFeCo alloy films using a telecom-band femtosecond fiber laser. We further fabricate Hall cross devices and electrically readout all-optical switching by measuring anomalous Hall voltage changes. The use of a telecom laser and the demonstrated all-optical switching of magnetoresistive devices represent the first step toward integration of opto-magnetic devices with mainstream photonic devices to enable novel optical and spintronic functionalities.

Hyperviscosity syndrome is triggered by high blood viscosity in the human body. This syndrome can result in retinopathy, vertigo, coma, and other unanticipated complications. Serum viscosity is one of the important factors affecting whole blood viscosity, which is regarded as an indicator of general health. In this letter, we propose and demonstrate a Brownian relaxation-based mixing frequency method to test human serum viscosity. This method uses excitatory and detection coils and Brownian relaxation-dominated superparamagnetic nanoparticles, which are sensitive to variables of the liquid environment such as viscosity and temperature. We collect the harmonic signals produced by magnetic nanoparticles and estimate the viscosity of unknown solutions by comparison to the calibration curves. An in vitro human serum viscosity test is performed in less than 1.5 min.

A magnetic biosensor (100) includes a magnetic structure, such as a GMR spin-valve sensor (10,20,30,40), having grooved surface to biologically bond magnetic labels (50) to a biological substance (80) within the grooves. The grooves (90) are positioned within the magnetic structure so that stray magnetic fields (110) from the magnetic structure magnetize magnetic labels (50) within the groove (90). The magnetic labels (50) may be magnetic nanoparticles or magnetic microbeads. The techniques may reduce or eliminate the usage of any external magnetic field generator, e.g., electromagnets or current lines.

The spin dynamics at the interface between the CoFeB and Ta layer has been studied using spin pumping and spin wave characterizations. The spin pumping driven by the ferromagnetic resonance in the CoFeB layer injects a spin current into Ta layer which results in an electromotive force across the Ta layer due to the inverse spin Hall effect. Upon changing the polarity of the bias magnetic field, the polarity of the output voltage inverts and the output voltage increases linearly in respect to the microwave signal power which are consistent with the spin pumping characteristics. The effect of the in-plane magnetization angle on the output voltage has been studied. Furthermore, it is found that the frequency spectrum of the spin Hall voltage is modified by the annealing temperature and the full width at half maximum of the spin pumping increases by more than 40% with the increase of the annealing temperature from 200 °C to 300 °C. The spin Hall angle at the Ta-CoFeB interface is determined to be 0.014, and the damping constant of the CoFeB increases from 0.006 in pure CoFeB to 0.015 in Ta/CoFeB film.

Partially ordered Fe-N thin films were grown by a facing target sputtering process on the surface of a (001) Ag underlayer on MgO substrates. It was confirmed by x-ray diffraction that the Ag layer enlarged the in-plane lattice of the Fe-N thin films. Domains of the ordered α″-Fe16N2 phase within an epitaxial (001) α′-FexN phase were identified by electron diffraction and high-resolution aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) methods. STEM dark-field and bright-field images showed the fully ordered structure of the α″-Fe16N2 at the atomic column level. High saturation magnetization(Ms) of 1890 emu/cc was obtained for α″-Fe16N2 on the Ag underlayer, while only 1500 emu/cc was measured for Fe-N on the Fe underlayer. The results are likely due to a tensile strain induced in the α″-Fe16N2 phase by the Ag structure at the interface.

Two series of exchange coupled composite films with and without Ag interlayer, L10-[FePt-Ag]/[Co/Ni]N (FC-Ag-N) and FePt/[Co/Ni]N (FC-N), were prepared and well studied. Coercivities of both series decrease with the increase of the soft [Co/Ni]N thickness. However, well-isolated sphere grains are observed in FC-Ag-N samples, instead of a ledge-type structure in FC-N samples. The average grain size is almost constant for FC-Ag-N films, regardless of the thickness of Co/Ni multilayer. It indicates that Ag effectively suppresses the grain coarseness during the deposition of [Co/Ni]N.

Si doped iron-iron oxide core-shell magnetic nanoparticles are presented in this paper for photocatalysis applications. The nanoparticles were fabricated by a gas phase method with control of small size. Enhanced optical absorption was observed in them compared to the ones without Si, particularly in the 310 nm–450 nm wavelength range. This active optical property is beneficial for photocatalysis in terms of the efficient hole transfer from the catalysts to the reacting chemistry groups. The nanoparticles also possess a strong and active magnetic property which provides an easy way for recyclable usage. This work offers a route towards the improvement of a photocatalytic system which integrates a nanoparticulate structure of a large surface area with effective doping and recoverability by a magnetic field.

We report a direct observation of giant saturation magnetization in Fe16N2. By exploiting thin film epitaxy, which provides controlled biaxial stress to create lattice distortion, we demonstrate that giant magnetism can be established in Fe16N2 thin film coherently grown on MgO (001) substrate. Explored by polarized neutron reflectometry, the depth-dependent saturation magnetic induction (Bs) of epitaxial Fe16N2 thin films is visualized, which reveals a strong correlation with the in-plane lattice parameter and tensile strain developed at near substrate interface. With controlled growth process and dimension adjustment, the Bs of these films can be modulated over a broad range, from ∼2.1 Tesla (T) (normal Bs) up to ∼3.1 T (giant Bs).

A nanopatterning process, named as the embedded mask patterning, was proposed and experimentally demonstrated based on the FePt recording media. A granular mask layer was deposited on top of a FePt continuous film. The granular pattern of the mask was then transferred down to FePt layer using reactive ion etching. Since controlling magnetic properties is separated from controlling granular nanostructure, FePt grains can be reduced by optimizing the mask layer and patterning process only. This process is also potentially compatible to any state-of-art vacuum process for other electronic devices wafers and heterostructured nanoparticles manufacturing.

Two series of perpendicular exchange coupled composites (ECC) films are prepared by dc magnetron sputtering, FePt(5)/[Co(0.2)/Pt(0.3)]N (ECC-I-N) and FePt(5)/[Co(0.2)/Pt(0.6)]N (ECC-II-N), respectively. Structure analyses reveal the epitaxial growth on (001) oriented L10 FePt island-like grains of [Co/Pt]N with (200) orientation. Coercivity HC and remanent coercivity HCR of both series samples decrease sharply compared to FePt, with the increase of the thickness of [Co/Pt]N. The angular dependence of HCR shows excellent angular tolerance.

The microwave power and the critical current of spin torque oscillator (STO) devices with a built-in hard axis polarizer have been studied. This design allows for an external-field-free STO. The time domain oscillation signals give direct evidence of higher output from the hard axis polarizer STO, which agrees with spectroscopic results. The hard axis polarizer STO generates a higher power because of the larger slope of the magnetoresistance-angle curve at the lowest energy potential. Furthermore, the hard axis polarizer STO shows a low critical current indicating the large spin torque effect when two magnetic layers are in the 90° configuration.

We experimentally demonstrated spin transfer torque (STT) programming of dipole coupled nanomagnets using magnetic tunnel junctions. The STT write operations were performed in conjunction with a clock field used in magnetic quantum cellular automata (MQCA) operations. The spacing and number of nanomagnets in the transmission line strongly affected the STT programming of the individual pillars. These MQCA transmission lines ranged in length from 2 elements to 20 elements, while device sizes ranged between 50 nm × 80 nm and 70 nm × 100 nm with spacing between 10 nm and 15 nm. With the application of the clock field, currents of 100-200 μA are sufficient to STT program the device. The demonstration of STT programming of individual nanomagnets in a dipole coupled array marks a significant step forward for applications such as MQCA logic device.

The fabrication of anisotropic nanocomposite exchange-spring magnets is demonstrated experimentally by using a gas-phase nanoparticle deposition technique. High resolution transmission electron microscopy images prove the experimental easy-axis definition of embedded hard magnetic nanoparticles in soft magnetic matrix. Exchange coupling between the hard and soft phases is confirmed by measuring recoil loops and δ M-H curve of the anisotropic FePt/Fe0.8Ni0.2 nanocomposite. The magnetic energy product for the anisotropic exchange-spring magnet is 224% higher than the isotropic case.

A detection scheme for real-time Brownian relaxation of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) is demonstrated by a mixing-frequency method in this paper. MNPs are driven into the saturation region by a low frequency sinusoidal magnetic field. A high frequency sinusoidal magnetic field is then applied to generate mixing-frequency signals that are highly specific to the magnetization of MNPs. These highly sensitive mixing-frequency signals from MNPs are picked up by a pair of balanced built-in detection coils. The phase delays of the mixing-frequency signals behind the applied field are derived, and are experimentally verified. Commercial iron oxide MNPs with the core diameter of 35 nm are used for the measurement of Brownian relaxation. The results are fitted well with Debye model. Then a real-time measurement of the binding process between protein G and its antibody is demonstrated using MNPs as labels. This study provides a volume-based magnetic sensing scheme for the detection of binding kinetics and interaction affinities between biomolecules in real time.

We present in-plane CoFeB–MgO magnetic tunnel junctions with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in the free layer to reduce the spin transfer induced switching current. The tunneling magnetoresistance ratio, resistance-area product, and switching current densities are compared in magnetic tunnel junctions with different CoFeB compositions. The effects of CoFeB free layer thickness on its magnetic anisotropy and current-induced switching characteristics are studied by vibrating sample magnetometry and electrical transport measurements on patterned elliptical nanopillar devices. Switching current densities ∼4 MA/cm2 are obtained at 10 ns write times.

We show that adding a perpendicular polarizer to a conventional spin torque memory element with an in-plane free layer and an in-plane polarizer can significantly increase the write speed and decrease the write energy of the element. We demonstrate the operation of such spin torque memory elements with write energies of 0.4 pJ and write times of 0.12 ns.

We experimentally demonstrated magnetoresistance (MR) read of dipole coupled nanomagnets using magnetic tunnel junctions. The MR allowed the magnetic state of individual nanomagnets to be electrically measured. The sensitivity of the read scheme enabled a systematic study regarding the nanomagnet spacing and revealed a transition in behavior. Below a spacing of 15 nm the dipole field overcomes the individual shape anisotropy and redefines the individual element easy axis along the direction transmission line. The demonstration of MR electrical read marks a significant step forward for applications such as magnetic quantum cellular automata logic devices.

Partially ordered Fe16N2 thin films have been fabricated on Fe (001)-buffered GaAs (001) single-crystal substrates by a facing target sputtering process. The saturation magnetization has been systematically investigated as a function of N site ordering in partially ordered Fe16N2 thin films, which is found to be increased monotonically with the increase in the N site ordering parameter, reaching up to 2.68 T at high ordering case. A model discussion is provided based on the partial localization of 3d electron states in this material system, which successfully rationalizes the formation of the giant saturation magnetization in chemically ordered Fe16N2. We further demonstrate that the average magnetic moment of partially ordered Fe16N2 sensitively depends on the special arrangement of Fe6N clusters, which is the key to realize high magnetic moment in this material system.

We use ultrafast current-induced switching measurements to study spin-transfer switching performance metrics, such as write energy per bit (EW) and switching current density (Jc), as a function of resistance-area product (RA) (hence MgO thickness) in magnetic tunnel junction cells used for magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM). EW increases with RA, while Jc decreases with increasing RA for both switching directions. The results are discussed in terms of RA optimization for low write energy and current drive capability (hence density) of the MRAM cells. Switching times

We experimentally demonstrated a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) based circuit that allows direct communication between elements without intermediate sensing amplifiers. The input of the circuit consists of three MTJs connected in parallel. The direct communication is realized by connecting the output in series with the input and applying voltage across the series connections. Combining the circuit with complementary metal oxide semiconductor current mirrors allows for fan-out to multiple outputs. The change in resistance at the input resulted in a voltage swing across the output of 150–200 mV for the closest input states which is sufficient to realize all of the Boolean primitives.