Macrospin analysis of RF excitations within fully perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions with second order easy-axis magnetic anisotropy contribution

TL;DR

This study uses macrospin simulations to analyze RF excitations in fully perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions, revealing how second order anisotropy and external fields influence dynamic states and oscillation frequencies relevant for memory applications.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive macrospin model including second order anisotropy and field-like torque effects to predict dynamic magnetic states in pMTJs.

Findings

Two stable magnetization states identified: in-plane and out-of-plane.

Dynamic precession modes with frequencies up to 15 GHz observed.

External field tilt and anisotropy strength critically influence excitation conditions.

Abstract

The conditions of field and voltage for inducing steady state excitations in fully perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (pMTJs), adapted for memory applications, were numerically investigated by the resolution of the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation in the macrospin approach. Both damping-like and the field-like spin transfer torque terms were taken into account in the simulations, as well as the contribution of the second order uniaxial anisotropy term (K2), which has been recently revealed in MgO-based pMTJs. An in-plane applied magnetic field balances the out of plane symmetry of the pMTJ and allows the signal detection. Using this model, we assessed the states of the free layer magnetization as a function of strength of K2 and polar theta_H angle of the applied field (varied from 90 to 60 deg.). There are two stable states, with the magnetization in-plane or out of plane of the layer, and two dynamic states with self-sustained oscillations, called in-plane precession state (IPP) or out of plane precession state (OPP). The IPP mode, with oscillation frequencies up to 7 GHz, appears only for positive voltages if theta_H = 90 deg. However, it shows a more complex distribution when the field is slightly tilted out of plane. The OPP mode is excited only if K2 is considered and reaches a maximum oscillation frequency of 15 GHz. Large areas of dynamic states with high frequencies are obtained for strong values of the field-like torque and K2, when applying a slightly tilted external field toward the out of plane direction. The non-zero temperature does not modify the phase diagrams, but reduces drastically the power spectral density peak amplitudes.