Tuning the domain wall orientation in thin magnetic strips by induced anisotropy

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method to control magnetic domain and domain wall orientations in thin ferromagnetic strips by inducing uniaxial in-plane anisotropy through oblique evaporation, confirmed by experiments and simulations.

Contribution

It demonstrates a novel technique to tune domain wall orientation in magnetic strips via controlled anisotropy induction, enabling new device possibilities.

Findings

Domain walls align with the induced easy axis regardless of shape anisotropy.

A direct correlation between magnetization direction and domain wall orientation.

Experimental results are supported by micromagnetic simulations.

Abstract

We report on a method to tune the orientation of in-plane magnetic domains and domain walls in thin ferromagnetic strips by manipulating the magnetic anisotropy. Uniaxial in-plane anisotropy is induced in a controlled way by oblique evaporation of magnetic thin strips. A direct correlation between the magnetization direction and the domain wall orientation is found experimentally and confirmed by micromagnetic simulations. The domain walls in the strips are always oriented along the oblique evaporation-induced easy axis, in spite of the shape anisotropy. The controlled manipulation of domain wall orientations could open new possibilities for novel devices based on domain-wall propagation.