Single-shot time-domain studies of spin-torque-driven switching in magnetic tunnel junctions

TL;DR

This paper presents single-shot resistance measurements in magnetic tunnel junctions to analyze spin-torque-driven switching, revealing insights into thermal fluctuations and magnetization coherence under different magnetic field conditions.

Contribution

It introduces a method for single-shot resistance measurement during spin-torque switching, enabling detailed analysis of thermal fluctuations and magnetization dynamics.

Findings

Thermally assisted switching observed in single-shot measurements.

Magnetization dynamics are more coherent with a small in-plane hard-axis magnetic field.

Pre-switching thermal fluctuations provide insights into coherence times.

Abstract

We report single-shot measurements of resistance versus time for thermally assisted spin-torque-driven switching in magnetic tunnel junctions. We achieve sufficient sensitivity to resolve the resistance signals leading up to switching, including the variations between individual switching events. Analyses of pre-switching thermal fluctuations allow detailed measurements of coherence times and variations in magnetization precession amplitude. We find that with a small in-plane hard-axis magnetic field the magnetization dynamics are more spatially coherent than for the case of zero field.