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Nanomagnonic devices based on the spin-transfer torque

Nature Nanotechnology volume 9, pages 509–513 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

Magnonics1,2,3 is based on signal transmission and processing by spin waves (or their quanta, called magnons) propagating in a magnetic medium. In the same way as nanoplasmonics makes use of metallic nanostructures to confine and guide optical-frequency plasmon-polaritons4,5, nanomagnonics uses nanoscale magnetic waveguides to control the propagation of spin waves6. Recent advances in the physics of nanomagnetism, such as the discovery of spin-transfer torque7,8, have created possibilities for nanomagnonics. In particular, it was recently demonstrated that nanocontact spin-torque devices can radiate spin waves9,10,11, serving as local nanoscale sources of signals for magnonic applications12. However, the integration of spin-torque sources with nanoscale magnetic waveguides, which is necessary for the implementation of integrated spin-torque magnonic circuits, has not been achieved to date. Here, we suggest and experimentally demonstrate a new approach to this integration, utilizing dipolar field-induced magnonic nanowaveguides. The waveguides exhibit good spectral matching with spin-torque nano-oscillators and enable efficient directional transmission of spin waves. Our results provide a practical route for the implementation of integrated magnonic circuits utilizing spin transfer.

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Figure 1: Schematic of the experiment and electronic characterization of STNOs.
Figure 2: BLS characterization of the magnetization dynamics in the nanowaveguide and the free Py film.
Figure 3: Spatially resolved BLS measurements of spin-wave propagation in the nanowaveguide.
Figure 4: Results of micromagnetic simulations of spin-wave propagation in the field-induced magnonic nanowaveguide.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge support from Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the US National Science Foundation and Megagrant programme no. 2013-220-04-329 of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Emory University, Atlanta, 30322, Georgia, USA

    S. Urazhdin

  2. Department of Physics, University of Muenster, 48149, Muenster, Germany

    V. E. Demidov, H. Ulrichs, T. Kendziorczyk, T. Kuhn, J. Leuthold, G. Wilde & S. O. Demokritov

  3. Ural Division of RAS, Institute of Metal Physics, Yekaterinburg, 620041, Russia

    S. O. Demokritov

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  1. S. Urazhdin
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  5. T. Kuhn
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Contributions

S.U. suggested the idea for the experiment and fabricated the samples. V.E.D. and H.U. performed measurements and data analysis. T.Ke. and T.Ku. performed micromagnetic simulations. J.L. and G.W. performed sample characterization. S.O.D. formulated the experimental approach and performed the general supervision of the study. All authors co-wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to V. E. Demidov.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Urazhdin, S., Demidov, V., Ulrichs, H. et al. Nanomagnonic devices based on the spin-transfer torque. Nature Nanotech 9, 509–513 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2014.88

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