Ultrafast magnetization reversal by picosecond electrical pulses.
Yang YangRichard B WilsonJon GorchonCharles-Henri LambertSayeef SalahuddinJeffrey BokorPublished in: Science advances (2017)
The field of spintronics involves the study of both spin and charge transport in solid-state devices. Ultrafast magnetism involves the use of femtosecond laser pulses to manipulate magnetic order on subpicosecond time scales. We unite these phenomena by using picosecond charge current pulses to rapidly excite conduction electrons in magnetic metals. We observe deterministic, repeatable ultrafast reversal of the magnetization of a GdFeCo thin film with a single sub-10-ps electrical pulse. The magnetization reverses in ~10 ps, which is more than one order of magnitude faster than any other electrically controlled magnetic switching, and demonstrates a fundamentally new electrical switching mechanism that does not require spin-polarized currents or spin-transfer/orbit torques. The energy density required for switching is low, projecting to only 4 fJ needed to switch a (20 nm)3 cell. This discovery introduces a new field of research into ultrafast charge current-driven spintronic phenomena and devices.
Keyphrases
- solid state
- energy transfer
- room temperature
- electron transfer
- molecularly imprinted
- density functional theory
- single molecule
- solar cells
- blood pressure
- transition metal
- cell therapy
- stem cells
- mesenchymal stem cells
- high throughput
- quantum dots
- human health
- molecular dynamics
- high resolution
- health risk
- mass spectrometry
- ionic liquid