Revealing nanoscale disorder in W/CoFeB/MgO ultra-thin films using domain wall motion

TL;DR

This study investigates nanoscale disorder in ultra-thin W/CoFeB/MgO films by analyzing domain wall motion, revealing how disorder affects magnetic properties and providing insights for designing efficient domain wall devices.

Contribution

The paper introduces an analytical model to extract nanoscale pinning parameters, enabling detailed analysis of disorder effects on domain wall dynamics in thin magnetic films.

Findings

Irradiation improves domain wall mobility.

Nanoscale pinning parameters vary with disorder.

Disorder analysis aids device design.

Abstract

Disorder in ultra-thin magnetic films can significantly hinder domain wall motion. One of the main issues on the path towards efficient domain wall based devices remains the characterization of the pinning landscape at the nanoscale. In this paper, we study domain wall motion in W/CoFeB/MgO thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy crystallized by annealing at 400$^{\circ}$C and a process based on He$^{+}$ irradiation combined with elevated temperatures. Magnetic properties are similar for the whole series of samples, while the magnetic domain wall mobility is critically improved in the irradiated samples. By using an analytical model to extract nanoscale pinning parameters, we reveal important variations in the disorder of the crystallized samples. This work offers a unique opportunity to selectively analyze the effects of disorder on the domain wall dynamics, without the contribution of changes in the magnetic properties. Our results highlight the importance of evaluating the nanoscale pinning parameters of the material when designing devices based on domain wall motion, which in return can be a powerful tool to probe the disorder in ultra-thin magnetic films.