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Hybrid superconducting-magnetic memory device using competing order parameters
Burm Baek1, William H Rippard1, Samuel P Benz1
1National Institute of Standards and Technology, 325 Broadway, Boulder, Colorado 80305, USA.
Nature Communications
|May 29, 2014
Summary
Researchers developed a novel Josephson junction with a magnetic spin valve. This hybrid device enables tunable, non-volatile switching of superconducting properties, paving the way for nanoscale superconducting memory.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Quantum Computing Hardware
Background:
- Superconducting and magnetic properties are being explored for novel memory devices.
- Competing order parameters in hybrid devices present challenges and opportunities.
- Ultra-low-power, high-density cryogenic memory is a key technological goal.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create novel switching elements by exploiting competing superconducting and magnetic orders.
- To investigate a reconfigurable two-layer magnetic spin valve integrated within a Josephson junction.
- To separate and analyze the suppression of superconducting coupling caused by exchange fields versus stray magnetic fields.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a hybrid superconducting-magnetic device featuring a Josephson junction with a two-layer magnetic spin valve.
- Experimental measurements to distinguish the effects of exchange fields and stray magnetic fields on superconducting coupling.
- Characterization of the tunability, switchability, and scalability of the observed phenomena.
Main Results:
- Successfully separated superconducting coupling suppression due to exchange field depairing from stray magnetic field effects.
- Demonstrated that exchange field suppression of the superconducting order parameter is tunable, switchable, and scalable to nanometer dimensions.
- Observed non-volatile, size-independent switching of Josephson coupling in both magnitude and phase.
Conclusions:
- The developed hybrid superconducting-magnetic device offers a promising route for practical nanoscale superconducting memory.
- The tunable and switchable nature of exchange field suppression is key to novel memory functionalities.
- These findings enable the development of advanced cryogenic memory technologies.
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