Spin-Transfer Torque Switching in Nanopillar Superconducting-Magnetic Hybrid Josephson Junctions

Abstract

The combination of superconducting and magnetic materials to create superconducting devices has been motivated by the discovery of Josephson critical current (Ics) oscillations as a function of magnetic layer thickness and the demonstration of devices with switchable critical currents. However, none of the hybrid devices has shown any spintronic effects, such as spin-transfer torque, which are currently used in room-temperature magnetic devices, including spin-transfer torque random-access memory and spin-torque nano-oscillators. We develop nanopillar Josephson junctions with a minimum feature size of 50 nm and magnetic barriers exhibiting magnetic pseudo-spin-valve behavior at 4 K. With a bias current higher than Ics, these devices allow current-induced magnetization switching that results in tenfold changes in Ics. The current-induced magnetic switching is consistent with spin-transfer torque models for room-temperature magnetic devices. Our work demonstrates that devices that combine superconducting and spintronic functions show promise for the development of a nanoscale, nonvolatile, cryogenic memory technology.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

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