Engineering Magnetic Droplets in Nanocontact Spin-Torque Nano-Oscillators

Spin-torque nano-oscillators (STNOs) are nanoscale spintronic devices capable of generating highly tunable broadband microwave signals. In this thesis, I study nanocontact (NC)-based STNOs using strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy(PMA) free layers, where a novel magnetic soliton—a magnetic droplet—exists. This work is devoted to further understanding the characteristics of the magnetic droplet in diverse magnetic structures, including orthogonal and all-perpendicular(all-PMA) spin valves (SVs) and orthogonal magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). The nucleation, transition, and collapse of magnetic droplets are observed, tailored, and analyzed by engineering the magnetic properties of the thin films’ stacks. This thesis consists of three main parts: Orthogonal SVs with [Co/Ni]/Cu/CoxNiFe1−x: Magnetic droplets were first observed in orthogonal SV STNOs. We engineered the fixed layer magnetization Ms,p by cosputtering different compositions of CoxNiFe1−x (x = 0−1). The nucleation boundaries of a magnetic droplet in a current-field phase shift to a lower region as Ms,p decreases. The nucleation boundary is also examined under canted fields in order to better understand the drift instability of the droplets. The observations not only confirm the theoretical predictions of nucleation boundary, but suggest a method for controlling the nucleation boundary. All-PMA SVs with [Co/Ni]/Cu/[Co/Pd]: In contrast to orthogonal SVs,all-PMA NC-STNOs show many novel features. First, thanks to the dramatic improvement in droplet stability that results from using a [Co/Pd] PMA fixed layer, the droplets are directly imaged by a scanning transmission x-ray microscopy(STXM). The transition between the static bubble and magnetic droplet is also observed and imaged. Moreover, to investigate the effect of PMA, He+ irradiation is conducted on the all-PMA NC-STNOs, progressively tuning the PMA. The transitions of the normal FMR-like mode and droplet mode are demonstrated. The behavior of frequency tunability versus PMA is systematically studied. These investigations of all-PMA and irradiated NC-STNOs show that it is feasible to engineer the magnetic properties of STNOs through He+ irradiation. Besides, the dynamic droplets and static bubbles have great potential applications in next-generation information carriers. Orthogonal MTJs with CoFeB/MgO/CoFe: The existence of droplets in orthogonal MTJs is still debated. Instead, the magnetodynamics are investigated here. Very importantly, we find that the frequency tunability is determined by the spin-transfer torque (STT), the voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy (VCMA), and thermal heating. This paves the way to improving tunability by combining these contributions. This study will contribute greatly to real applications, such as microwave generators and detectors.QC 20180907