Discipline: Technology and Engineering
Subcategory: Nanoscience
Session: 1
Room: Exhibit Hall A
Brandon J Illescas - El Camino College
Co-Author(s): Irvin Jimenez, Westchester High School, Los Angeles, CA; Kevin Pham, Lawndale High School, Lawndale, CA.
Spin-orbit torque (SOT) switching of magnetization is a promising route for implementing a new era of non-volatile memory and computing devices. A standard SOT platform consists of a heavy metal layer and a ferromagnet layer. Applied in-plane current results in net spin polarization at the heavy metal/ferromagnet interface, which is utilized for magnetization switching. The non-volatility, ultrafast dynamics, and ultralow switching energy of SOT devices makes them very promising for practical applications. We have studied the role of varying applied current pulse widths on the scale of milliseconds down to nanoseconds. We have also analyzed the required in-plane magnetic fields, the Joule heating effect on magnetic properties, and the corresponding switching current densities.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): National Science Foundation
Faculty Advisor: Arvin Razavi, arvinrazavi@gmail.com
Role: My research team contributed to the testing of the devices. We would modify our parameters between each test run. I created a LabView program which automated a portion of our tests when modifying our parameters. Once finished gathering our data I graphed and analyzed it with a program called Origin.