Current-Induced Magnetization Switching in Permalloy-based Nanopillars with Cu, Ag, and Au

TL;DR

This study compares magnetoresistance and switching currents in Permalloy nanopillars with Cu, Ag, and Au to evaluate their suitability for current-induced magnetization switching devices.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of different non-magnetic metals in Permalloy nanopillars, highlighting Ag and Au as viable alternatives to Cu for CIMS applications.

Findings

Modest differences in MR and I_s among Cu, Ag, and Au.

Ag and Au are potential alternatives to Cu for CIMS.

Measurements at room temperature and 4.2K show consistent trends.

Abstract

We compare magnetoresistances (MR) and switching currents (I_s) at room temperature (295K) and 4.2K for Permalloy/N/Permalloy nanopillars undergoing current-induced magnetization switching (CIMS), with non-magnetic metals N = Cu, Ag, and Au. The N-metal thickness is held fixed at 10 nm. Any systematic differences in MR and I_s for the different N-metals are modest, suggesting that Ag and Au represent potentially viable alternatives for CIMS studies and devices to the more widely used Cu.