2020/02/24 by Phuong‐Vu Ong, Taehoon Kim, Ong, Phuong-Vu +9
Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials #Magnetic properties of thin films #Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) #Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall) #Multiferroics and related materials
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2002.10328
openalex publication_date 2020/02/24 · openalex created_date 2022/07/26 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
External magnetic field, temperature, and spin-polarized current are usually\nemployed to create and control nanoscale vortex-like spin configurations such\nas magnetic skyrmions. Although these methods have proven successful, they are\nnot energy-efficient due to high power consumption and dissipation. Coupling\nbetween magnetic properties and mechanical deformation, the magnetoelastic\n(MEL) effect, offers a novel approach to energy-efficient control of magnetism\nat the nanoscale. It is of great interest in the context of ever-decreasing\nlength scales of electronic and spintronic devices. Therefore, it is desirable\nto establish a comprehensive framework capable of predicting the effects of\nmechanical stress and enabling deterministic control of magnetic textures and\nskyrmions. In this work, using an advanced scheme of multiscale simulations and\nLorentz transmission electron microscopy measurements we demonstrate\ndeterministic control of topological magnetic textures and skyrmion creation in\nthin films and racetracks of chiral magnets. Our investigation considers not\nonly uniaxial but also biaxial stress, which is ubiquitous in thin-film\ndevices. The biaxial stress, rather than the uniaxial one, was shown to be more\nefficient to create or annihilate skyrmions when the MEL coefficient and strain\nhave the same or opposite signs, respectively. It was also demonstrated to be a\nviable way to stabilize skyrmions and to control their current-induced motion\nin racetrack memory. Our results open prospects for deployment of mechanical\nstress to create novel topological spin textures, including merons, and in\ncontrol and optimization of skyrmion-based devices.\n