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Current‐Induced Nucleation and Annihilation of Magnetic Skyrmions at Room Temperature in a Chiral Magnet
Author(s) -
Yu Xiuzhen,
Morikawa Daisuke,
Tokunaga Yusuke,
Kubota Masashi,
Kurumaji Takashi,
Oike Hiroshi,
Nakamura Masao,
Kagawa Fumitaka,
Taguchi Yasujiro,
Arima Takahisa,
Kawasaki Masashi,
Tokura Yoshinori
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.201606178
Subject(s) - skyrmion , condensed matter physics , annihilation , nucleation , magnet , curie temperature , materials science , vortex , ferromagnetism , topological quantum number , physics , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
A magnetic skyrmion is a nanometer‐scale magnetic vortex carrying an integer topological charge. Skyrmions show a promise for potential application in low‐power‐consumption and high‐density memory devices. To promote their use in applications, it is attempted to control the existence of skyrmions using low electric currents at room temperature (RT). This study presents real‐space observations for the current‐induced formation and annihilation of a skyrmion lattice (SkL) as well as isolated skyrmions in a microdevice composed of a thin chiral magnet Co 8 Zn 9 Mn 3 with a Curie temperature, T C ≈ 325 K, above RT. It is found that the critical current for the manipulation of Bloch‐type skyrmions is on the order of 10 8 A m −2 , approximately three orders of magnitude lower than that needed for the creation and drive of ferromagnetic (FM) domain walls in thin FM films. The in situ real‐space imaging also demonstrates the dynamical topological transition from a helical or conical structure to a SkL induced by the flow of DC current, thus paving the way for the electrical control of magnetic skyrmions.