Time-resolved observation of fast domain-walls driven by vertical spin currents in short tracks

TL;DR

This study demonstrates rapid, reversible magnetic domain-wall motion driven by vertical spin currents in short tracks, achieving high velocities and enabling fast switching for spintronic applications.

Contribution

It provides time-resolved measurements showing high domain-wall velocities and demonstrates how short tracks prevent Walker breakdown, enabling fast, deterministic switching.

Findings

Domain walls reach 600 m/s velocity.

Vertical spin currents induce fast, reversible switching.

Short tracks prevent Walker breakdown.

Abstract

We present time-resolved measurements of the displacement of magnetic domain-walls (DWs) driven by vertical spin-polarized currents in track-shaped magnetic tunnel junctions. In these structures we observe very high DW velocities (600 m/s) at current densities below $10^7 A/cm^2$. We show that the efficient spin-transfer torque combined with a short propagation distance allows to avoid the Walker breakdown process, and achieve deterministic, reversible and fast ($\approx$ 1 ns) DW-mediated switching of magnetic tunnel junction elements, which is of great interest to the implementation of fast DW-based spintronic devices.