Title :
Controlling of sub-μm2 domains in spin valve strips with conductor current
Author :
Matsuyama, K. ; Hosokawa, H. ; Nozaki, Y.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electron. Device Eng., Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka, Japan
fDate :
9/1/1999 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
Nucleation and erasing of sub-μm2 domains in spin valve strips have been performed with current pulses applied through conductors. A spin valve material of NiFe/Co/Cu/Co was deposited by magnetron sputtering and patterned into sense lines of 40 parallel strips with 0.4 μm width and 2 μm pitch. Selective domain nucleation under parallel conductors with 1 μm width and 2.6 μm pitch has been confirmed by the current induced MR change. Pulses with opposite polarity performed erasing of nucleated domains. Reproducible MR change with a variation of ±10% relative to the mid value was realized in 104 operations of the domain nucleation process
Keywords :
cobalt; copper; ferromagnetic materials; giant magnetoresistance; iron alloys; magnetic domains; magnetic multilayers; magnetoelectric effects; nickel alloys; nucleation; spin valves; 0.4 mum; 1 mum; 2 mum; 2.6 mum; GMR; MRAM; NiFe-Co-Cu-Co; NiFe/Co/Cu/Co; conductor current; current induced MR change; current pulses; domain nucleation process; erasing; magnetron sputtering; nucleation; selective domain nucleation; sense lines; spin valve strips; sub-μm2 domains; Application software; Conductors; Magnetic field measurement; Magnetic fields; Magnetic switching; Magnetization; Resists; Semiconductor device measurement; Spin valves; Strips;
Journal_Title :
Magnetics, IEEE Transactions on
