Observation of injection and pinning of domain walls in magneticnanowires using photoemission electron microscopy

Journal Article · Mon Dec 19 00:00:00 EST 2005 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2139842· OSTI ID:892949

Thomas, Luc; Rettner, Charles; Hayashi, Masamitsu; Samant, MaheshG; S P, Parkin Stuart; Doran, Andrew; Scholl, Andreas

Photoemission electron microscopy is used to explore the injection and pinning of magnetic domain walls in 250-nm-wide, 20-nm-thick Permalloy nanowires. Domain walls are injected from a micron-sized elliptical nucleation pad at one end of the nanowire. A vortex-like structure is readily nucleated in this pad at low magnetic fields 15 Oe, whereas injection of a domain wall into the nanowire requires significantly larger fields 60 Oe. Domain walls are pinned in the nanowire at notches patterned along the wires edges. The domain walls are observed to have vortex-like structures with chiralities that vary in successive experiments.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Director. Office of Science. Office of AdvancedScientific Computing Research. Office of Basic Energy Sciences; Department of Defense. Defense Advanced Research ProjectsAgency
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 892949
• Report Number(s): LBNL-60778; APPLAB; R&D Project: A58128; BnR: KC0204016; TRN: US200623%%646
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 87; Related Information: Journal Publication Date: 2005; ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
MAGNETIC FIELDS
NUCLEATION
PERMALLOY
PHOTOEMISSION
advanced light source als