Magnetic multilayer for magnetic memories

My research belongs to the field of nanomagnetism and spintronic. The work I performed, since the end of my PhD, on magnetic multilayer with perpendicular anisotropy show how these two themes are closely linked and how they feed each other. Within the first one, I’ve been interested in the magnetic features induced interface between layers of different chemical nature (interface anisotropy, increased local magnetization, etc.), the influence of magnetic coupling (exchange coupling or dipolar coupling), as well as the competition between them. Besides I tried to follow the exponential flow of new spintronic effects. I mostly used model single crystal Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy multilayer systems whose properties were deeply characterized by many means, in order to properly study the spin-transfer torque effect. Overall, I have used complementary laboratory techniques (magnetization, susceptibility and magnetoresistance measurements, MOKE measurement and microscopy, MFM imaging, X-ray diffraction) or large facilities techniques (polarized neutron reflectometry, spectroscopy and microscopy based on X-ray magnetic dichroism) and micromagnetic calculations, to study the evolution of magnetic configurations of complex multilayer systems or assembled nano-objects based on extrinsic parameters such as an external magnetic field or temperature. I have learned that material science is the first step of very careful studies. I have therefore put quite a lot of effort in controlling the growth of various systems (alloys and multilayer) ferri-, ferromagnetic and non-magnetic films by molecular beam evaporation and magnetron sputtering. Moreover, during a three-year stint in Silicon Valley (California, USA), I have gained a new vision of the research and development within the Hitachi GST group (hard disk drive company that now belongs to Western digital). The studies described in the manuscript brought me to work with many colleagues, supervised some young ones and learn a lot from young and less young ones. I have developed national and international collaborations, sometimes through a stint, in renowned institutes like the Laboratory of Fundamental Electronics d'Orsay (France), the CEMES at toulouse (France), the center of neutron NIST in Washington DC (USA), the SOLEIL synchrotron in Saclay (France), the Lawrence Berkeley national Laboratory (USA), the IFW Dresden (Germany), the Istambul Bebek University (Turkey), Messina University (Italy) or Hitachi GST in San Jose (USA). Finally, my position as head of the service center “MAGNETISME” of Institut Jean Lamour (since 2011) has lead me to open myself to new fields and new collaborations within the University of Lorraine and outside (especially trough the Great Region and in Europe)