arXiv subjects

Gilles Gaudin

Publications and source records attributed to Gilles Gaudin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Pulse Shaping to Mitigate the Impact of Device Imperfections in Field-Free Switching Using Combined Spin-Orbit and Spin-Transfer Torques

Combining spin-orbit (SOT) and spin-transfer torques (STT) provides a practical approach for field-free switching in spin-orbit torque magnetic random-access memory (SOT-MRAM), a prerequisite for industrial deployment, but can compromise reliability through phenomena such as backhopping, especially in top-pinned stacks commonly used for SOT-MRAM. We investigate the write error rate (WER) of combined SOT + STT switching in top-pinned devices that are not optimized for STT switching. Experiments reveal clear indications of STT-induced backhopping and a pronounced field-free SOT switching asymmetry between AP-to-P and P-to-AP transitions. Our macrospin model, using two coupled Landau Lifshitz Gilbert equations for the free and the reference layers, qualitatively reproduces this asymmetry and reveals an intermediate loss-of-determinism regime in addition to the well-known backhopping region. Based on these simulations, we propose mitigation strategies and experimentally demonstrate that STT pulse shaping reduces WER and improves switching robustness in the presence of device imperfections.

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arXiv2025

Intrinsic back-switching phenomenon in SOT-MRAM devices

The writing process of SOT-MRAMs is considered deterministic when additional symmetry-breaking factors, such as the application of an external magnetic field aligned with the current, are present. Notably, the write probability exhibits a unique behavior as a function of the current: it drops to zero at high currents or even oscillates with the current. This phenomenon is attributed to back-switching, an intrinsic effect of magnetization reversal driven by spin-orbit torques. A systematic investigation of this back-switching phenomenon is conducted on sub-100 nm CoFeB magnetic pillars positioned at the center of $β$-W Hall crosses. Using a statistical approach, the study examines the impact of various parameters, including the amplitude of current pulses and the application of magnetic fields in different directions. The findings reveal that the back-switching phenomenon is not statistically random. Macrospin simulations, employing realistic magnetic parameter values, accurately replicate the experimental observations and provide insights into the underlying mechanisms of back-switching. These simulations also explore strategies to mitigate the phenomenon, such as optimizing the shape of the writing pulses. Applying this approach to complete SOT-MRAM single cells achieves a write error rate below $2 \times 10^{-6}$, demonstrating the effectiveness of this strategy in expanding the operational current range for write operations in SOT-MRAMs.

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arXiv2024

Altermagnetic variants in thin films of Mn5Si3

The altermagnet candidate Mn5Si3 has attracted wide attention in the context of non-relativistic spin physics, due to its composition of light elements. However, the presumed structure of the altermagnetic phase had yet to be demonstrated. In this study, we demonstrate a hallmark of altermagnetism in Mn5Si3 thin films, namely the three options, or variants, for the checkerboard distribution of the magnetic Mn atoms. The magnetic symmetries were altered by field-rotation of the Néel vector along relevant crystal directions, resulting in anomalous Hall effect anisotropy. The experimental results in nanoscale devices were corroborated by a theoretical model involving atomic site dependent anisotropy and bulk Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction for a single variant.

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arXiv2024

Fast current-induced skyrmion motion in synthetic antiferromagnets

Magnetic skyrmions are topological magnetic textures that hold great promise as nanoscale bits of information in memory and logic devices. Although room-temperature ferromagnetic skyrmions and their current-induced manipulation have been demonstrated, their velocity has been limited to about 100 meters per second. In addition, their dynamics are perturbed by the skyrmion Hall effect, a motion transverse to the current direction caused by the skyrmion topological charge. Here, we show that skyrmions in compensated synthetic antiferromagnets can be moved by current along the current direction at velocities of up to 900 meters per second. This can be explained by the cancellation of the net topological charge leading to a vanishing skyrmion Hall effect. Our results open an important path toward the realization of logic and memory devices based on the fast manipulation of skyrmions in tracks.

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arXiv2023

Electrical detection and nucleation of a magnetic skyrmion in a magnetic tunnel junction observed via operando magnetic microscopy

Magnetic skyrmions are topological spin textures which are envisioned as nanometre scale information carriers in magnetic memory and logic devices. The recent demonstration of room temperature stabilization of skyrmions and their current induced manipulation in industry compatible ultrathin films were first steps towards the realisation of such devices. However, important challenges remain regarding the electrical detection and the low-power nucleation of skyrmions, which are required for the read and write operations. Here, we demonstrate, using operando magnetic microscopy experiments, the electrical detection of a single magnetic skyrmion in a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) and its nucleation and annihilation by gate voltage via voltage control of magnetic anisotropy. The nucleated skyrmion can be further manipulated by both gate voltage and external magnetic field, leading to tunable intermediate resistance states. Our results unambiguously demonstrate the readout and voltage controlled write operations in a single MTJ device, which is a major milestone for low power skyrmion based technologies.

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arXiv2022

Gate-controlled skyrmion and domain wall chirality

Magnetic skyrmions are localized chiral spin textures, which offer great promise to store and process information at the nanoscale. In the presence of asymmetric exchange interactions, their chirality, which governs their dynamics, is generally considered as an intrinsic parameter set during the sample deposition. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate that a gate voltage can control this key parameter. We probe the chirality of skyrmions and chiral domain walls by observing the direction of their current-induced motion and show that a gate voltage can reverse it. This local and dynamical reversal of the chirality is due to a sign inversion of the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction that we attribute to ionic migration of oxygen under gate voltage. Micromagnetic simulations show that the chirality reversal is a continuous transformation, in which the skyrmion is conserved. This control of chirality with 2 - 3 V gate voltage can be used for skyrmion-based logic devices, yielding new functionalities.

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arXiv2022

Programmable skyrmion logic gates based on skyrmion tunneling

Magnetic skyrmions are promising candidates as elementary nanoscale bits in logic-in-memory devices, intrinsically merging high density memory and computing capabilities. Here we exploit the dynamics of skyrmions interacting with anisotropy energy barriers patterned by ion irradiation to design programmable logic gates. Using micromagnetic simulations with experimental parameters, we show that a fine tuning of the barrier height and width allows the selective tunneling of skyrmions between parallel nanotracks triggered by skyrmion-skyrmion interaction. This can be leveraged to design skyrmion De-multiplexer (DMux) logic gate which works solely using skyrmions as logic inputs. By cascading and connecting demultiplexer gates with a specific topology, we develop a fully programmable logic gate capable of producing any possible logic output as a sum of all minterms generated by a given set of inputs without requiring any complex additional electric/magnetic interconversion. The proposed design is fully conservative and cascadable and paves a new pathway for full skyrmionic-based logic-in-memory devices.

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arXiv2022

Robust and programmable logic-in-memory devices exploiting skyrmion confinement and channeling using local energy barriers

Magnetic skyrmions are promising candidates for logic-in-memory applications, intrinsically merging high density non-volatile data storage with computing capabilities, owing to their nanoscale size, fast motion, and mutual repulsions. However, concepts proposed so far suffer from reliability issues as well as inefficient conversion of magnetic information to electrical signals. In this paper, we propose a logic-in-memory device which exploits skyrmion confinement and channeling using anisotropy energy barriers to achieve reliable data storage and synchronous shift in racetracks combined with cascadable and reprogrammable logics relying purely on magnetic interactions. The device combines a racetrack shift register based on skyrmions confined in nanodots with Full Adder (FA) gates. The designed FA is reprogrammable and cascadable and can also be used to perform simple logic operations such as AND, OR, NOT, NAND, XOR and NXOR. The monolithic design of the logic gate and the absence of any complex electrical contacts makes the device ideal for integration with conventional CMOS circuitry.

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arXiv2022

Effect of Chiral Damping on the dynamics of chiral domain walls and skyrmions

Friction plays an essential role in most physical processes that we experience in our everyday life. Examples range from our ability to walk or swim, to setting boundaries of speed and fuel efficiency of moving vehicles. In magnetic systems, the displacement of chiral domain walls (DW) and skyrmions (SK) by Spin Orbit Torques (SOT), is also prone to friction. Chiral damping, the dissipative counterpart of the Dzyaloshinskii Moriya Interaction (DMI), plays a central role in these dynamics. Despite experimental observation, and numerous theoretical studies confirming its existence, the influence of chiral damping on DW and SK dynamics has remained elusive due to the difficulty of discriminating from DMI. Here we unveil the effect that chiral damping has on the flow motion of DWs and SKs driven by current and magnetic field. We use a static in-plane field to lift the chiral degeneracy. As the in-plane field is increased, the chiral asymmetry changes sign. When considered separately, neither DMI nor chiral damping can explain the sign reversal of the asymmetry, which we prove to be the result of their competing effects. Finally, numerical modelling unveils the non-linear nature of chiral dissipation and its critical role for the stabilization of moving SKs.

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arXiv2021

Mechanism of Spin-Orbit Torques in Platinum Oxide Systems

Spin-Orbit Torque (SOT) Magnetic Random-Access Memories (MRAM) have shown promising results towards the realization of fast, non-volatile memory systems. Oxidation of the heavy-metal (HM) layer of the SOT-MRAM has been proposed as a method to increase its energy efficiency. But the results are widely divergent due to the difficulty in controlling the HM oxidation because of its low enthalpy of formation. Here, we reconcile these differences by performing a gradual oxidation procedure, which allows correlating the chemical structure to the physical properties of the stack. As an HM layer, we chose Pt because of the strong SOT and the low enthalpy of formation of its oxides. We find evidence of an oxide inversion layer at the FM/HM interface: the oxygen is drawn into the FM, while the HM remains metallic near the interface. We further demonstrate that the oxygen migrates in the volume of the FM layer rather than being concentrated at the interface. Consequently, we find that the intrinsic magnitude of the SOT is unchanged compared to the fully metallic structure. The previously reported apparent increase of SOTs is not intrinsic to platinum oxide and instead arises from systemic changes produced by oxidation.

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arXiv2021

Imprint from ferromagnetic skyrmions in an antiferromagnet via exchange bias

Magnetic skyrmions are topological spin textures holding great potential as nanoscale information carriers. Recently, skyrmions have been predicted in antiferromagnets, with key advantages in terms of stability, size, and dynamical properties over their ferromagnetic analogs. However, their experimental demonstration is still lacking. Here, we show the imprint from ferromagnetic skyrmions into a thin film of an IrMn antiferromagnet, at room temperature and zero external magnetic field, using exchange-bias. Using high-spatial-resolution x-ray magnetic circular dichroism photoemission electron microscopy (XMCD-PEEM), we observed the imprinted spin textures within the IrMn from the XMCD signal of the uncompensated Mn spins at the interface with the ferromagnet. This result opens up a path for logic and memory devices based on skyrmion manipulation in antiferromagnets.

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arXiv2021

Skyrmions in synthetic antiferromagnets and their nucleation via electrical current and ultrafast laser illumination

Magnetic skyrmions are topological spin textures that hold great promise as nanoscale information carriers in non-volatile memory and logic devices. While room-temperature magnetic skyrmions and their current-induced manipulation were recently demonstrated, the stray field resulting from their finite magnetization as well as their topological charge limit their minimum size and reliable motion in tracks. Antiferromagnetic (AF) skyrmions allow these limitations to be lifted owing to their vanishing magnetization and net zero topological charge, promising room-temperature, ultrasmall skyrmions, fast dynamics, and insensitivity to external magnetic fields. While room-temperature AF spin textures have been recently demonstrated, the observation and controlled nucleation of AF skyrmions operable at room temperature in industry-compatible synthetic antiferromagnetic (SAF) material systems is still lacking. Here we demonstrate that isolated skyrmions can be stabilized at zero field and room temperature in a fully compensated SAF. Using X-ray microscopy techniques, we are able to observe the skyrmions in the different SAF layers and demonstrate their antiparallel alignment. The results are substantiated by micromagnetic simulations and analytical models using experimental parameters, which confirm the chiral SAF skyrmion spin texture and allow the identification of the physical mechanisms that control the SAF skyrmion size and stability. We also demonstrate the local nucleation of SAF skyrmions via local current injection as well as ultrafast laser excitations at zero field. These results will enable the utilization of SAF skyrmions in skyrmion-based devices.

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arXiv2019

Current-Driven Skyrmion Dynamics and Drive-Dependent Skyrmion Hall Effect in an Ultrathin Film

Magnetic skyrmions are chiral spin textures that hold great promise as nanoscale information carriers. Since their first observation at room temperature, progress has been made in their current-induced manipulation, with fast motion reported in stray-field-coupled multilayers. However, the complex spin textures with hybrid chiralities and large power dissipation in these multilayers limit their practical implementation and the fundamental understanding of their dynamics. Here, we report on the current-driven motion of Néel skyrmions with diameters in the 100-nm range in an ultrathin Pt/Co/MgO trilayer. We find that these skyrmions can be driven at a speed of 100 m/s and exhibit a drive-dependent skyrmion Hall effect, which is accounted for by the effect of pinning. Our experiments are well substantiated by an analytical model of the skyrmion dynamics as well as by micromagnetic simulations including material inhomogeneities. This good agreement is enabled by the simple skyrmion spin structure in our system and a thorough characterization of its static and dynamical properties.

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arXiv2018

Creation of Magnetic Skyrmion Bubble Lattices by Ultrafast Laser in Ultrathin Films

Magnetic skyrmions are topologically nontrivial spin textures which hold great promise as stable information carriers in spintronic devices at the nanoscale. One of the major challenges for developing novel skyrmion-based memory and logic devices is fast and controlled creation of magnetic skyrmions at ambient conditions. Here we demonstrate the single ultrafast (35-fs) laser pulse-induced generation of skyrmion bubbles and skyrmion bubble lattices from a ferromagnetic state in sputtered ultrathin magnetic films at room temperature. The skyrmion bubble density increases with the laser fluence in a controlled way, and it finally becomes saturated, forming disordered hexagonal lattices. Moreover, we present that the skyrmion bubble lattice configuration leads to enhanced topological stability as compared to isolated skyrmions, suggesting its promising use in data storage. Our findings shed light on the optical approach to the skyrmion bubble lattice in commonly accessible materials, paving the road toward the emerging skyrmion-based memory and synaptic devices.

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arXiv2018

Large voltage tuning of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction: a route towards dynamic control of skyrmion chirality

Electric control of magnetism is a prerequisite for efficient and low power spintronic devices. More specifically, in heavy metal/ ferromagnet/ insulator heterostructures, voltage gating has been shown to locally and dynamically tune magnetic properties like interface anisotropy and saturation magnetization. However, its effect on interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction (DMI), which is crucial for the stability of magnetic skyrmions, has been challenging to achieve and has not been reported yet for ultrathin films. Here, we demonstrate 130% variation of DMI with electric field in Ta/FeCoB/TaOx trilayers through Brillouin Light Spectroscopy (BLS). Using polar- Magneto-Optical-Kerr-Effect microscopy, we further show a monotonic variation of DMI and skyrmionic bubble size with electric field, with an unprecedented efficiency. We anticipate through our observations that a sign reversal of DMI with electric field is possible, leading to a chirality switch. This dynamic manipulation of DMI establishes an additional degree of control to engineer programmable skyrmion based memory or logic devices.

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arXiv2018

Ultra-fast perpendicular Spin Orbit Torque MRAM

We demonstrate ultra-fast (down to 400 ps) bipolar magnetization switching of a three-terminal perpendicular Ta/FeCoB/MgO/FeCoB magnetic tunnel junction. The critical current density rises significantly as the current pulse shortens below 10 ns, which translates into a minimum in the write energy in the ns range. Our results show that SOT-MRAM allows fast and low power write operations, which renders it promising for non-volatile cache memory applications.

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arXiv2017

Thermal contribution to the spin-orbit torque in metallic/ferrimagnetic systems

We report a systematic study of current-induced perpendicular magnetization switching in W/Co$_{x}$Tb$_{1-x}$/Al thin films with strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Various Co$_{x}$Tb$_{1-x}$ ferrimagnetic alloys with different magnetic compensation temperatures are presented. The systems are characterized using MOKE, SQUID and anomalous Hall resistance at different cryostat temperature ranging from 10 K to 350 K. The current-switching experiments are performed in the spin-orbit torque geometry where the current pulses are injected in plane and the magnetization reversal is detected by measuring the Hall resistance. The full reversal magnetization has been observed in all samples. Some experimental results could only be explained by the strong sample heating effect during the current pulses injection. We have found that, for a given composition $x$ and switching polarity, the devices always reach the same temperature $\textit{T}_{switch}(x)$ before switching independently of the cryostat temperature. $\textit{T}_{switch}$ seems to scale with the Curie temperature of the Co$_{x}$Tb$_{1-x}$ ferrimagnetic alloys. This explains the evolution of the critical current (and critical current density) as a function of the alloy concentration. Future application could take advantages of this heating effect which allows reducing the in-plane external field. Unexpected double magnetization switching has been observed when the heat generated by the current allows crosses the compensation temperature.

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arXiv2017

Magnetic skyrmions in confined geometries : effect of the magnetic field and the disorder

We report on the effect of the lateral confinement and a perpendicular magnetic field on isolated room-temperature magnetic skyrmions in sputtered Pt/Co/MgO nanotracks and nanodots. We show that the skyrmions size can be easily tuned by playing on the lateral dimensions of the nanostructures and by using external magnetic field amplitudes of a few mT, which allow to reach sub-100 nm diameters. Our XMCD-PEEM observations also highlight the important role of the pinning on the skyrmions size and stability under an out-of-plane magnetic field. Micromagnetic simulations reveal that the effect of local pinning can be well accounted for by considering the thin film grain structure with local anisotropy variations and reproduce well the dependence of the skyrmion diameter on the magnetic field and the geometry.

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