Journal of Magnetics

The Korean Magnetics Society (한국자기학회)
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Spin-polarized Current Switching of Co/Cu/Py Pac-man type II Spin-valve

  • Lyle, Andrew (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and MINT Center, The University of Alabama) ;
  • Hong, Yang-Ki (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and MINT Center, The University of Alabama) ;
  • Choi, Byoung-Chul (Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria) ;
  • Abo, Gavin (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and MINT Center, The University of Alabama) ;
  • Bae, Seok (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and MINT Center, The University of Alabama) ;
  • Jalli, Jeevan (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and MINT Center, The University of Alabama) ;
  • Lee, Jae-Jin (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and MINT Center, The University of Alabama) ;
  • Park, Mun-Hyoun (Hitachi Global Storage Technologies) ;
  • Syslo, Ryan (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and MINT Center, The University of Alabama)
  • Received : 2010.06.22
  • Accepted : 2010.08.09
  • Published : 2010.09.30
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Abstract

We investigated spin-polarized current switching of Pac-man type II (PM-II) nanoelements in Pac-man shaped nanoscale spin-valves (Co/Cu/Py) using micromagnetic simulations. The effects of slot angle and antiferromagnetic (AFM) layer were simulated to obtain optimum switching in less than 2 ns. At a critical slot angle of $105^{\circ}$, the lowest current density for anti-parallel to parallel (AP-P) switching was observed due to no vortex or antivortex formation during the magnetic reversal process. All other slot angles for AP-P formed a vortex or antivortex during the magnetization reversal process. Additionally, a vortex or anti-vortex formed for all slot angles for parallel to anti-parallel (P-AP) switching. The addition of an AFM layer caused the current density to decrease significantly for AP-P and P-AP at slot angles less than $90^{\circ}$. However, at slot angles greater than $90^{\circ}$, the current density tended to decrease by less amounts or actually increased slightly as shape anisotropy became more dominant. This allowed ultra-fast switching with 5.05 and $5.65{\times}10^8\;A/cm^2$ current densities for AP-P and P-AP, respectively, at a slot angle of $105^{\circ}$.

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