Effect of an external/internal magnetic field on the photocurrent in Py-topological insulator heterojunction Ni80Fe20/TI (Bi2Te3/Bi2Se3/Bi2Te2Se)/p-Si devices.

This study demonstrates the fabrication and study of a permalloy (Py)/topological insulator heterojunction, i.e., the Ni80Fe20/TI(Bi2Te3/Bi2Se3/Bi2Te2Se)/p-Si heterojunction, for spintronic device applications at room temperature. In this work, the forward current values, under the absence of a magnetic field, for Ni80Fe20/Bi2Te2Se/p-Si, Ni80Fe20/Bi2Se3/p-Si, and Ni80Fe20/Bi2Te3/p-Si heterojunctions were 12.7 µA, 8.7 µA, and 6.85 µA, respectively; while in the presence of a magnetic field, the corresponding values were 10.8 µA, 7.6 µA, and 4.47 µA, respectively. Such reductions in current were attributed to an increase in the resistance of the p-n junction diode due to Lorentz force and a magnetoresistance effect, which was also verified using magneto-transport measurements. This resulted in a modification of the space charge shape and an increase in the potential barrier. Along with this, the magnetic field also affected the diffusion length, leading to a reduction in the current. Such a phenomenon enables the development of durable devices with improved reliability and longevity under harsh environments. The special features of topological edge states in the presence of a magnetic field can be used for sophisticated sensing applications. The future applications will likely lead to the emergence of other novel applications across disciplines such as computing, health, materials science, and energy harvesting.

Skyrmion based majority logic gate by voltage controlled magnetic anisotropy in a nanomagnetic device.

Magnetic skyrmions are topologically protected spin textures and they are suitable for future logic-in-memory applications for energy-efficient, high-speed information processing and computing technologies. In this work, we have demonstrated skyrmion-based 3 bit majority logic gate using micromagnetic simulations. The skyrmion motion is controlled by introducing agatethat works on voltage controlled magnetic anisotropy. Here, the inhomogeneous magnetic anisotropy behaves as a tunable potential barrier/well that modulates the skyrmion trajectory in the structure for the successful implementation of the majority logic gate. In addition, several other effects such as skyrmion-skyrmion topological repulsion, skyrmion-edge repulsion, spin-orbit torque and skyrmion Hall effect have been shown to govern the logic functionalities. We have systematically presented the robust logic operations by varying the current density, magnetic anisotropy, voltage-controlled gate dimension and geometrical parameters of the logic device. The skyrmion Hall angle is monitored to understand the trajectory and stability of the skyrmion as a function of time in the logic device. The results demonstrate a novel method to achieve majority logic by using voltage controlled magnetic anisotropy which further opens up a new route for skyrmion-based low-power and high-speed computing devices.

Field angle dependent resonant dynamics of artificial spin ice lattices.

Artificial spin ice structures which are networks of coupled nanomagnets arranged on different lattices that exhibit a number of interesting phenomena are promising for future information processing. We report reconfigurable microwave properties in artificial spin ice structures with three different lattice symmetries namely square, kagome, and triangle. Magnetization dynamics are systematically investigated using field angle dependent ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Two distinct ferromagnetic resonance modes are observed in square spin ice structures in contrast with the three well-separated modes in kagome and triangular spin ice structures that are spatially localized at the center of the individual nanomagnets. A simple rotation of the sample placed in magnetic field results in the merging and splitting of the modes due to the different orientations of the nanomagnets with respect to the applied magnetic field. Magnetostatic interactions are found to shift the mode positions after comparing the microwave responses from the array of nanomagnets with control simulations with isolated nanomagnets. Moreover, the extent of the mode splitting has been studied by varying the thickness of the lattice structures. The results have potential implications for microwave filter-type applications which can be operated for a wide range of frequencies with ease of tunability.

Skyrmion based 3D low complex runtime reconfigurable architecture design methodology of universal logic gate.

In this study, we introduce the area efficient low complex runtime reconfigurable architecture design methodology based on Skyrmion logic for universal logic gate (ULG) i.e. NOR/NAND implementation using micromagnetic simulations. We have modelled the two input 3D device structure using bilayer ferromagnet/heavy metal where the magnetic tunnel junctions inject and detect the input and output skyrmions by exploiting the input reversal mechanism. The implementation of NOR and NAND is performed using this same device where it is reconfigured runtime with enhanced tunability by the ON and OFF state of current passing through a non magnetic metallic gate respectively. This gate acts as a barrier for skyrmion motion (additional control mechanism) to realize the required Skyrmion logic output states. To the best of authors's knowledge the boolean optimizations and the mapping logic have been presented for the first time to demonstrate the functionalities of the NOR/NAND implementation. This proposed architecture design methodology of ULG leads to reduced device footprint with regard to the number of thin film structures proposed, low complexity in terms of fabrication and also providing runtime reconfigurability to reduce the number of physical designs to achieve all truth table entries (∼75% device footprint reduction). The proposed 3D ULG architecture design benefits from the miniaturization resulting in opening up a new perspective for magneto-logic devices.

Chemical Approach Towards Broadband Spintronics on Nanoscale Pyrene Films.

The injection of pure spin current into the non-magnetic layer plays a crucial role in transmitting, processing, and storing data information in the realm of spintronics. To understand broadband molecular spintronics, pyrene oligomer film (≈20 nm thickness) was prepared using an electrochemical method forming indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode/pyrene covalent interfaces. Permalloy (Ni80 Fe20 ) films with different nanoscale thicknesses were used as top contact over ITO/pyrene layers to estimate the spin pumping efficiency across the interfaces using broadband ferromagnetic resonance spectra. The spintronic devices are composed of permalloy/pyrene/ITO orthogonal configuration, showing remarkable spin pumping from permalloy to pyrene film. The large spin pumping is evident from the linewidth broadening of 5.4 mT at 9 GHz, which is direct proof of spin angular momentum transfer across the interface. A striking observation is made with the high spin-mixing conductance of ≈1.02×1018  m-2 , a value comparable to the conventional heavy metals. Large spin angular moment transfer was observed at the permalloy-pyrene interfaces, especially at the lower thickness of permalloy, indicating a strong spinterface effect. Pure spin current injection from ferromagnetic into electrochemically grown pyrene films ensures efficient broadband spin transport, which opens a new area in molecular broadband spintronics.

Voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy gradient-driven skyrmion-based half-adder and full-adder.

Spintronic devices have revolutionized the way we process or store information compared to dissipative charge-based electronics. Among various spin-based technologies, skyrmions - topologically protected nano-size spin textures - have emerged as the most promising alternative for future data processing. Here, we have proposed binary adder circuits - central to most digital logic circuits - based on skyrmions. Using micromagnetic simulations, we have demonstrated half-adder and full-adder logic functionalities by precisely driving the skyrmions through voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy gradient, besides taking advantage of the physical effects such as the skyrmion Hall effect, skyrmion-skyrmion topological repulsion and skyrmion-edge repulsions. The proposed voltage-control-based method of driving the skyrmions is energy efficient compared to the electrical current-driven approach, and it also overcomes the issue of Joule heating. A reliable operation in a wide range of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction strengths, magnetic anisotropy gradient, and dimensional parameters has been shown, which offers robustness to the device design. The results pave the way for the skyrmion-based computational architecture, which is significant for next-generation non-volatile data processing.

Magnetization dynamics in single and trilayer nanowires.

We have studied the magnetization dynamics of single Py(t) (t= 20 nm, 50 nm) and trilayer [Py(50)/Pd(tPd)/Py(20)] nanowire arrays fabricated over large areas using deep ultraviolet lithography technique. The dynamic properties are sensitive to the field orientation and magnetic film thicknesses. A single resonant mode corresponding to the excitations at the bulk part of the wire is detected in all the single-layer nanowire arrays. Furthermore, the spacer layer thickness influenced the dynamic properties in trilayer samples due to the different coupling mechanisms. A single resonant mode is observed intPd= 2 nm trilayer nanowires with a sharp frequency jump from 13 GHz to 15 GHz across the reversal regime. This indicates the exchange coupling and the coherence in magnetization precession in the ferromagnetic layers. On the other hand, wires with 10 nm-spacer display two well-resolved modes separated by ∼3 GHz with a gradual change in frequency across the reversal regime from-26mT to-46mT, indicating the presence of long-range dipolar interactions instead of exchange coupling. The spacer layer of the proposed spin-valve-type structure can be tailored for desired microwave splitters or combiners.

Effect of seed layer thickness on the Ta crystalline phase and spin Hall angle.

Heavy metal-ferromagnet bilayer structures have attracted great research interest for charge-to-spin interconversion. In this work, we investigated the effect of the permalloy (Py) seed layer on the tantalum (Ta) polycrystalline phase and its spin Hall angle. Interestingly, for the same deposition rates the crystalline phase of Ta deposited on the Py seed layer strongly depends on the thickness of the seed layer. We observed a phase transition from α-Ta to (α + ß)-Ta while increasing the Py seed layer thickness. The observed phase transition is attributed to the strain at the interface between the Py and Ta layers. Ferromagnetic resonance-based spin pumping studies reveal that the spin-mixing conductance in the (α + ß)-Ta is relatively higher as compared to the α-Ta. Spin Hall angles of α-Ta and (α + ß)-Ta are obtained from the inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE) measurements. The spin Hall angle of (α + ß)-Ta is estimated to be θSH = -0.15 ± 0.009 which is relatively higher than that of the α-Ta. Our systematic results connecting the phase of Ta with the seed layer and its effect on the efficiency of spin to charge conversion might resolve ambiguities across various literature and open up new functionalities based on the growth process for emerging spintronic devices.

Giant spin pumping at the ferromagnet (permalloy) - organic semiconductor (perylene diimide) interface.

Pure spin current based devices have attracted great interest in recent days. Spin current injection into non-magnetic materials is essential for the design and development of such pure spin current based devices. In this context, organic semiconductors (OSCs) can be potential non-magnetic materials over widely explored heavy metals. This is due to the relatively low spin-orbit coupling of OSCs, which is essential to host the spin current with a large spin diffusion length and long spin-relaxation time. This research work demonstrates the harvesting of spin currents at the perylene diimide (PDI)/permalloy (Py) based OSC interface. The observed high linewidth broadening of 2.18 mT from the ferromagnetic resonance spectra indicates the presence of giant spin pumping from Py to PDI. The resultant spin-mixing conductance, 1.54 × 1018 m-2 quantifies the amount of spin current injected from Py to PDI, which is in a similar range to ferromagnet/heavy metals.

Isotropic transmission of magnon spin information without a magnetic field.

Spin-wave devices (SWD), which use collective excitations of electronic spins as a carrier of information, are rapidly emerging as potential candidates for post-semiconductor non-charge-based technology. Isotropic in-plane propagating coherent spin waves (magnons), which require magnetization to be out of plane, is desirable in an SWD. However, because of lack of availability of low-damping perpendicular magnetic material, a usually well-known in-plane ferrimagnet yttrium iron garnet (YIG) is used with a large out-of-plane bias magnetic field, which tends to hinder the benefits of isotropic spin waves. We experimentally demonstrate an SWD that eliminates the requirement of external magnetic field to obtain perpendicular magnetization in an otherwise in-plane ferromagnet, Ni80Fe20 or permalloy (Py), a typical choice for spin-wave microconduits. Perpendicular anisotropy in Py, as established by magnetic hysteresis measurements, was induced by the exchange-coupled Co/Pd multilayer. Isotropic propagation of magnon spin information has been experimentally shown in microconduits with three channels patterned at arbitrary angles.

Deterministic Control of Magnetization Dynamics in Reconfigurable Nanomagnetic Networks for Logic Applications.

Information processing based on nanomagnetic networks is an emerging area of spintronics, as the energy consumption and integration density of the current semiconductor technology are reaching their fundamental limits. Nanomagnet-based devices rely on manipulating the magnetic ground states for device operations. While the static behavior of nanomagnets has been explored, little information is available on their dynamic behavior. Here, we demonstrate an additional functionality based on their collective dynamic response and explore the concept utilizing networks of bistable rhomboid nanomagnets. The control of the magnetic ground states of the networks was achieved by the geometrical design of the nanomagnets instead of the conventional interelement dipolar coupling. Dynamic responses of both the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic ground states were monitored using broadband ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy, the Brillouin light scattering technique, and direct magnetic force microscopy. Micromagnetic simulations and numerical calculations validate our experimental observations. This method would have potential implications for low-power magnonic devices based on reconfigurable microwave properties.

A reconfigurable waveguide for energy-efficient transmission and local manipulation of information in a nanomagnetic device.

Spin-wave-based devices promise to usher in an era of low-power computing where information is carried by the precession of the electrons' spin instead of dissipative translation of their charge. This potential is, however, undermined by the need for a bias magnetic field, which must remain powered on to maintain an anisotropic device characteristic. Here, we propose a reconfigurable waveguide design that can transmit and locally manipulate spin waves without the need for any external bias field once initialized. We experimentally demonstrate the transmission of spin waves in straight as well as curved waveguides without a bias field, which has been elusive so far. Furthermore, we experimentally show a binary gating of the spin-wave signal by controlled switching of the magnetization, locally, in the waveguide. The results have potential implications in high-density integration and energy-efficient operation of nanomagnetic devices at room temperature.

Stabilization of antiferromagnetism in CeFe(2) alloys: the effects of chemical and hydrostatic pressure.

Effects of Al, Mn and Sb dopings in CeFe(2) and the effect of applied pressure have been investigated. Al doping gives rise to the FM-AFM transition and a reduction in the magnetic moment and T(C) values, clearly indicating the growth of the AFM component. Mn and Sb dopings only cause a reduction in the T(C) value. It is found that, in general, external pressure enhances the antiferromagnetism in both the pure and the doped alloys. Enhancement of the Ce 4f-Fe 3d hybridization as a result of doping and with the external pressure may be the reason for the stabilization of antiferromagnetism in these alloys.