GOALI: Spin Transfer in Magnetic Nanostructures

****非技术摘要****该项目汇集了来自纽约大学和IBM的研究人员，旨在进一步了解和应用纳米级磁性器件和材料。磁性纳米结构广泛应用于技术领域，其中最先进的应用是在信息处理领域。随着世界范围内对数据处理和存储的需求不断增加，这在美国是一个巨大的行业，正在迅速发展。最近发现，在微型磁性装置中，直流电可以通过一种称为自旋转移的机制来改变磁化方向。这一发展可能使磁性信息的处理和存储得到显著改善。关于电流和磁化之间相互作用的本质，本项目将通过对纽约大学现有的新器件结构、材料和独特的高频测量技术的研究来解决许多重要和基本的问题。这项研究将与磁学研究前沿领域年轻科学家的培训相结合。参与这项合作的研究生和本科生将从学术界和工业界的互动以及纽约大学和IBM之间计划中的许多交流中获益。通过接触工业环境中的各种观点、专业知识和技术，他们的教育将得到丰富。高中生也将参与这项研究。****技术摘要****这项NSF-GOALI奖支持一个项目，该项目汇集了来自纽约大学和IBM的纳米磁学研究人员，旨在进一步了解自旋转移的物理学和自旋转移在高性能器件中的应用，如磁性随机存取存储器（MRAM）。自旋转移是一种机制，通过自旋极化电流可以改变纳米磁体的磁取向，并引起磁激发，如自旋波。了解自旋转移机制可能会使磁信息处理和存储的显著改进。这是因为自旋转移提供了一种方法，可以快速逆转具有大磁各向异性的纳米磁体的磁化，否则需要巨大的局部磁场。该项目将研究新的器件结构和材料，并使用高频测量作为表征材料参数和定量测量作用于磁畴和畴壁的自旋力矩的工具。新的器件结构包括用于捕获畴壁的垂直磁化材料，三个终端自旋阀以及由软磁材料组成的亚微米级磁环。所获得的知识可以指导技术发展，使自旋转移MRAM的开关电流降低，开关速度提高。参与这项合作的研究生和本科生将从学术界和工业界之间的互动以及纽约大学和IBM之间许多计划中的学生交流中获益。通过接触工业环境中的各种观点、专业知识和技术，他们的教育将得到丰富。正在进行英特尔科学研究的高中生也将参与这项研究。

****NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT****This project brings together researchers from New York University and IBM with the aim of furthering the understanding and application of nanometer scale magnetic devices and materials. Magnetic nanostructures are widely used in technology with the most advanced applications being found in information processing. This is a huge industry in the United States that is growing rapidly, with the ever-increasing worldwide demands for data processing and storage. It has recently been discovered that in miniature magnetic devices a direct electrical current can switch the direction of magnetization by a mechanism known as spin-transfer. This development may enable dramatic improvements in magnetic information processing and storage. There are many important and fundamental questions about the nature of the interaction between the current and magnetization that this project will address through the investigation of new device structures, materials, and unique high frequency measurement techniques available at NYU. The research will be integrated with the training of young scientists in this forefront area of magnetism research. Graduate and undergraduate students involved in this collaboration will gain by interactions between academia and industry and through the many planned exchanges between NYU and IBM. Their education will be enriched through exposure to a variety of perspectives, expertise and techniques present in an industrial setting. High school students will also participate in this research.****TECHNICAL ABSTRACT****This NSF-GOALI award supports a project that brings together researchers in nanomagnetism from New York University and IBM with the aim of furthering the understanding of the physics of spin-transfer and applications of spin-transfer to high performance devices, such as magnetic random access memory (MRAM). Spin-transfer is a mechanism by which a spin-polarized current can alter the magnetic orientation of a nanomagnet and induce magnetic excitations such as spin-waves. Understanding the spin-transfer mechanism will likely enable dramatic improvements in magnetic information processing and storage. This is because spin-transfer offers a means to rapidly reverse the magnetization of nanomagnets with large magnetic anisotropy that would otherwise require huge local magnetic fields. The project will investigate new device structures and materials as well as use high-frequency measurements as a tool both for the characterization of material parameters and quantitative measurements of the spin-torques acting on magnetic domains and domain walls. New device structures include perpendicularly magnetized materials designed to trap domains walls, three terminal spin-valves as well as submicron-scale magnetic rings composed of soft magnetic materials. The knowledge gained may guide technological developments that will enable a reduced switching current and increased switching speed of spin-transfer MRAM. Graduate and undergraduate students involved in this collaboration will gain by interactions between academia and industry and through the many planned student exchanges between NYU and IBM. Their education will be enriched through exposure to a variety of perspectives, expertise and techniques present in an industrial setting. High school students conducting Intel Science Research will also participate in this research.