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High Domain Wall Velocities due to Spin Currents Perpendicular to the Plane
A V Khvalkovskiy1, K A Zvezdin, Ya V Gorbunov
1A. M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute of RAS, 119991 Moscow, Russia. khvalkov@fpl.gpi.ru
Physical Review Letters
|March 5, 2009
Summary
We studied domain wall (DW) dynamics in spin valves using perpendicular spin currents. Perpendicular polarizers achieved significantly higher DW velocities (80 m/s) compared to planar ones (5 m/s).
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Spintronics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Spin valves are crucial for magnetic memory devices.
- Domain wall (DW) motion is key to spintronic applications.
- Controlling DW dynamics is essential for device performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To numerically investigate domain wall (DW) dynamics in spin valves.
- To analyze the effect of perpendicular spin currents on DW motion.
- To compare DW velocities for planar versus perpendicular polarizers.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulations of DW dynamics in long and narrow spin valves.
- Inclusion of spin torques generated by perpendicular spin currents.
- Analysis of DW velocities under different polarizer configurations.
Main Results:
- Achieved high DW velocities: 5 m/s for planar polarizers and 80 m/s for perpendicular polarizers at I=0.01 mA.
- Demonstrated significantly higher DW velocities with perpendicular spin currents compared to in-plane currents.
- Identified the ratio of torque magnitudes as the cause for velocity differences.
Conclusions:
- Perpendicular spin currents enable much faster domain wall motion in spin valves.
- Spin valves with perpendicular polarizers offer superior performance for high-speed spintronic applications.
- The torque ratio is a critical factor determining domain wall velocity.
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