Field-controlled domain-wall resistance in magnetic nanojunctions

Authors

John D. Burton, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Arti Kashyap, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Mikhail Ye. Zhuravlev, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Ralph Skomski, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Evgeny Y. Tsymbal, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Sitaram Jaswal, University of NebraskaFollow
O.N. Mryasov, Seagate Research, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
R.W. Chantrell, Seagate Research, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Date of this Version

7-12-2004

Comments

Published by American Institute of Physics. Appl. Phys. Lett. 85, 251-153 (2004). © 2005 American Institute of Physics. Permission to use. http://apl.aip.org/.

Abstract

The electrical resistance of a constrained domain wall in a nanojunction is investigated using micromagnetic modeling and ballistic conductance calculations. The nanojunction represents two ferromagnetic electrodes connected by a ferromagnetic wire of 10 nm in length and of a few nanometers in cross section. We find that the anisotropy of the electrodes favors a localization of the domain wall within the constriction (wire) revealing a positive domain-wall resistance. An applied magnetic field moves the domain wall toward one of the electrodes and reduces its width. This compression of the domain wall leads to a sizeable enhancement of the domain-wall resistance.