Picosecond Switching of Optomagnetic Tunnel Junctions

Abstract

Perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions are one of the building blocks for spintronic memories, which allow fast nonvolatile data access, offering substantial potentials to revolutionize the mainstream computing architecture. However, conventional switching mechanisms of such devices are fundamentally hindered by spin polarized currents4, either spin transfer torque or spin orbit torque with spin precession time limitation and excessive power dissipation. These physical constraints significantly stimulate the advancement of modern spintronics. Here, we report an optomagnetic tunnel junction using a spintronic-photonic combination. This composite device incorporates an all-optically switchable Co/Gd bilayer coupled to a CoFeB/MgO-based perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction by the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida interaction. A picosecond all-optical operation of the optomagnetic tunnel junction is explicitly confirmed by time-resolved measurements. Moreover, the device shows a considerable tunnel magnetoresistance and thermal stability. This proof-of-concept device represents an essential step towards ultrafast spintronic memories with THz data access, as well as ultralow power consumption.

18 pages, 3 figures

References in corpus (6)

• Picosecond all-optical switching of magnetic tunnel junctions
• Sub-diffraction sub-100 ps all-optical magnetic switching by passive wavefront shaping
• Deterministic all-optical magnetization writing facilitated by non-local transfer of spin angular momentum
• Enhanced all-optical switching and domain wall velocity in annealed synthetic-ferrimagnetic multilayers
• Influence of magnetic fields on ultrafast laser-induced switching dynamics in Co/Gd bilayers
• Ultra-low energy threshold engineering for all-optical switching of magnetization in dielectric-coated Co/Gd based synthetic-ferrimagnet

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• Magnetostatics of Room Temperature Compensated Co/Gd/Co/Gd-based Synthetic Ferrimagnets
• Influence of interlayer exchange coupling on ultrafast laser-induced magnetization reversal in ferromagnetic spin valves
• Enhancing Spin Transfer Torque in Magnetic Tunnel Junction Devices: Exploring the Influence of Capping Layer Materials and Thickness on Device Characteristics
• Analysis of ultrafast magnetization switching dynamics in exchange-coupled ferromagnet-ferrimagnet heterostructures
• Ultrafast single-pulse all-optical switching in synthetic ferrimagnetic Tb/Co/Gd multilayers
• Aging and passivation of magnetic properties in Co/Gd bilayers
• Impact of Boron doping to the tunneling magnetoresistance of Heusler alloy Co2FeAl
• Integrated magneto-photonic non-volatile multi-bit memory