Thermally-Assisted Spin-Transfer Torque Magnetization Reversal in Uniaxial Nanomagnets

TL;DR

This paper investigates how thermal effects and geometrical tilts influence the magnetization reversal times in uniaxial nanomagnets, using GPU-based simulations to explore the crossover from ballistic to thermally assisted switching.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the impact of geometrical tilts on thermally assisted spin transfer torque reversal dynamics in nanomagnets.

Findings

Switching time follows an exponential dependence on current near zero.

Mean switching time is nearly independent of tilt angle.

Results inform modeling of spin transfer magnetic random access memory.

Abstract

We simulate the stochastic Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) dynamics of a uniaxial nanomagnet out to sub-millisecond timescales using a graphical processing unit based micromagnetic code and determine the effect of geometrical tilts between the spin-current and uniaxial anisotropy axes on the thermally assisted reversal dynamics. The asymptotic behavior of the switching time ($I\rightarrow 0$, $<\tau>\propto\exp(-\xi(1-I)^2)$) is approached gradually, indicating a broad crossover regime between ballistic and thermally assisted spin transfer reversal. Interestingly, the mean switching time is shown to be nearly independent of the angle between the spin current and magnet's uniaxial axes. These results have important implications for modeling the energetics of thermally assisted magnetization reversal of spin transfer magnetic random access memory bit cells.