Identifying the domain-wall spin structure in antiferromagnetic NiO/Pt

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.107.184417

Authors: C. Schmitt (Johannes Gutenberg Universitat Mainz) , L. Sanchez-Tejerina (University of Messina) , M. Filianina (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Graduate School of Excellence Materials Science in Mainz) , F. Fuhrmann (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz) , H. Meer (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz) , R. Ramos (Tohoku University) , F. Maccherozzi (Diamond Light Source) , D. Backes (Diamond Light Source) , E. Saitoh (Tohoku University; University of Tokyo) , G. Finocchio (University of Messina) , L. Baldrati (Johannes Gutenberg Universitat Mainz) , M. Klaui (University Mainz; Graduate School of Excellence Materials Science in Mainz)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: Physical Review B , VOL 107

State: Published (Approved)
Published: May 2023
Diamond Proposal Number(s): 22448

Abstract: The understanding of antiferromagnetic domain walls, which are the interface between domains with different Néel order orientations, is a crucial aspect to enable the use of antiferromagnetic materials as active elements in future spintronic devices. In this work, we demonstrate that in antiferromagnetic NiO/Pt bilayers arbitrary-shaped structures can be generated by switching driven by electrical current pulses. The generated domains are T domains, separated from each other by a domain wall whose spins are pointing toward the average direction of the two T domains rather than the common axis of the two planes. Interestingly, this direction is the same for the whole domain wall indicating the absence of strong Lifshitz invariants. The domain wall can be micromagnetically modeled by strain distributions in the NiO thin film induced by the MgO substrate, deviating from the bulk anisotropy. From our measurements we determine the domain-wall width to have a full width at half maximum of Δ = 98 ± 10 nm, demonstrating strong confinement.

Journal Keywords: Domain walls; Magnetic anisotropy; Magnetization switching; Antiferromagnets; Micromagnetic modeling; X-ray magnetic linear dichroism

Diamond Keywords: Antiferromagnetism; Spintronics

Subject Areas: Materials, Physics


Instruments: I06-Nanoscience (XPEEM)

Added On: 24/05/2023 11:27

Discipline Tags:

Quantum Materials Physics Electronics Magnetism Materials Science

Technical Tags:

Spectroscopy Linear Dichroism (LD) X-ray Magnetic Linear Dichroism (XMLD)