TY - JOUR
T1 - Picosecond optospintronic tunnel junctions
AU - Wang, Luding
AU - Cheng, Houyi
AU - Li, Pingzhi
AU - van Hees, Youri L.W.
AU - Liu, Yang
AU - Cao, Kaihua
AU - Lavrijsen, Reinoud
AU - Lin, Xiaoyang
AU - Koopmans, Bert
AU - Zhao, Weisheng S.
PY - 2022/6/14
Y1 - 2022/6/14
N2 - Perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (p-MTJs), as building blocks of spintronic devices, offer substantial potential for next-generation nonvolatile memory applications. However, their performance is fundamentally hindered by a subnanosecond speed limitation, due to spin-polarized-current-based mechanisms. Here, we report an optospintronic tunnel junction (OTJ) device with a picosecond switching speed, ultralow power, high magnetoresistance ratio, high thermal stability, and nonvolatility. This device incorporates an all-optically switchable Gd/Co bilayer coupled to a CoFeB/MgO-based p-MTJ, by subtle tuning of Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida interaction. An all-optical “writing” of the OTJ within 10 ps is experimentally demonstrated by time-resolved measurements. The device shows a reliable resistance “readout” with a relatively high tunnel magnetoresistance of 34.7%, as well as promising scaling toward the nanoscale with ultralow power consumption (
AB - Perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (p-MTJs), as building blocks of spintronic devices, offer substantial potential for next-generation nonvolatile memory applications. However, their performance is fundamentally hindered by a subnanosecond speed limitation, due to spin-polarized-current-based mechanisms. Here, we report an optospintronic tunnel junction (OTJ) device with a picosecond switching speed, ultralow power, high magnetoresistance ratio, high thermal stability, and nonvolatility. This device incorporates an all-optically switchable Gd/Co bilayer coupled to a CoFeB/MgO-based p-MTJ, by subtle tuning of Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida interaction. An all-optical “writing” of the OTJ within 10 ps is experimentally demonstrated by time-resolved measurements. The device shows a reliable resistance “readout” with a relatively high tunnel magnetoresistance of 34.7%, as well as promising scaling toward the nanoscale with ultralow power consumption (
KW - Spintronics
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85144020158&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1073/pnas.2204732119
DO - 10.1073/pnas.2204732119
M3 - Article
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 119
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS)
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS)
IS - 24
M1 - e2204732119
ER -