Letter abstract
Nature Nanotechnology 4, 158 - 161 (2008)
Published online: 18 January 2009 | doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.406
Subject Categories: Nanomagnetism and spintronics | Structural properties
Large voltage-induced magnetic anisotropy change in a few atomic layers of iron
T. Maruyama1, Y. Shiota1, T. Nozaki1, K. Ohta1, N. Toda1, M. Mizuguchi1,4, A. A. Tulapurkar1, T. Shinjo1, M. Shiraishi1, S. Mizukami2, Y. Ando3 & Y. Suzuki1
Abstract
In the field of spintronics, researchers have manipulated magnetization using spin-polarized currents1, 2, 3. Another option is to use a voltage-induced symmetry change in a ferromagnetic material to cause changes in magnetization or in magnetic anisotropy4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. However, a significant improvement in efficiency is needed before this approach can be used in memory devices with ultralow power consumption. Here, we show that a relatively small electric field (less than 100 mV nm-1) can cause a large change (
40%) in the magnetic anisotropy of a bcc Fe(001)/MgO(001) junction. The effect is tentatively attributed to the change in the relative occupation of 3d orbitals of Fe atoms adjacent to the MgO barrier. Simulations confirm that voltage-controlled magnetization switching in magnetic tunnel junctions is possible using the anisotropy change demonstrated here, which could be of use in the development of low-power logic devices and non-volatile memory cells.
- Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Japan
- WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Present address: Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
Correspondence to: Y. Suzuki1 e-mail: suzuki-y@mp.es.osaka-u.ac.jp
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