Hoffmann, M., Chen, S., Krishnaswamy, G. K., Tan, H. K., Yap, S. L. K., Lourembam, J., Soumyanarayanan, A., & Gambardella, P. (2025). Real-time dynamics of VCMA-assisted switching of magnetic tunnel junctions. Applied Physics Letters, 127(16). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0287555
Abstract:
Voltage control of magnetic anisotropy (VCMA) induced by charge accumulation is typically considered as an ultrafast process, enabling energy-efficient and high-speed magnetization switching in spintronic devices. In this work, we investigate the real-time dynamics of VCMA-assisted switching of magnetic tunnel junctions via relaxation in a magnetic field. We show that device-dependent charging effects and magnetic granularity in the free layer limit the switching speed at applied voltages close to the critical switching threshold. Increasing the voltage or the applied magnetic field reduces the incubation delay and total switching time to below a few ns. Micromagnetic simulations incorporating the finite charging times of the tunnel junction and the granularity of the magnetic film reproduce the experimental results, providing critical insights into optimizing VCMA-driven magnetization control for memory and logic applications.
License type:
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Funding Info:
This research / project is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research - Singapore Manufacturing, Trade and Connectivity (MTC) Individual Research Grant
Grant Reference no. : M23M6c0112
This research / project is supported by the European Union’s Horizon2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement - NA
Grant Reference no. : 955671
This research / project is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation - NA
Grant Reference no. : 200021-236524
This research / project is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research - Singapore’s Manufacturing, Trade and Connectivity (MTC) - SpOT-LITE programme
Grant Reference no. : A18A6b0057
This research / project is supported by the Ministry of Education - Academic Research Fund - Tier-1 (NUS Grant)
Grant Reference no. : 25-0760-A0001
Description:
Copyright 2025 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0287555