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arXiv · 1712.07201

Creation of Localized Skyrmion Bubbles in Co/Pt Bilayers using a Spin Valve Nanopillar

Jennifer L. Grab·Alison E. Rugar·Daniel C. Ralph
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Abstract

We fabricate devices in which a magnetic nanopillar spin valve makes contact to a Co/Pt bilayer thin film with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, in order to achieve local control of domains in the Co/Pt bilayer underneath the nanopillar. The goal is to develop the ability to nucleate, detect, and annihilate magnetic skyrmions in the Co/Pt using spin-polarized currents from the nanopillar. We demonstrate the ability to distinguish the local behavior of the Co/Pt film beneath the nanopillar from the extended film and show that the two can switch independently of each other. This allows us to isolate a localized domain under the pillar that can be controlled separately from the rest of the Co/Pt film using applied currents and magnetic fields. Micromagnetic simulations indicate that this localized domain has skyrmion symmetry. Our results represent a first step toward controlling room-temperature skyrmions using localized spin-transfer torque.

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Jennifer L. Grab, Alison E. Rugar, Daniel C. Ralph. 2017-12-19. Creation of Localized Skyrmion Bubbles in Co/Pt Bilayers using a Spin Valve Nanopillar. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.97.184424

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