Professor Thorsten Hesjedal FInstP

Abstract:

Room temperature magnetic skyrmions in magnetic multilayers are considered as information carriers for future spintronic applications. Currently, a detailed understanding of the skyrmion stabilization mechanisms is still lacking in these systems. To gain more insight, it is first and foremost essential to determine the full real‐space spin configuration. Here, two advanced X‐ray techniques are applied, based on magnetic circular dichroism, to investigate the spin textures of skyrmions in [Ta/CoFeB/MgO] n multilayers. First, by using ptychography, a high‐resolution diffraction imaging technique, the 2D out‐of‐plane spin profile of skyrmions with a spatial resolution of 10 nm is determined. Second, by performing circular dichroism in resonant elastic X‐ray scattering, it is demonstrated that the chirality of the magnetic structure undergoes a depth‐dependent evolution. This suggests that the skyrmion structure is a complex 3D structure rather than an identical planar texture throughout the layer stack. The analyses of the spin textures confirm the theoretical predictions that the dipole–dipole interactions together with the external magnetic field play an important role in stabilizing sub‐100 nm diameter skyrmions and the hybrid structure of the skyrmion domain wall. This combined X‐ray‐based approach opens the door for in‐depth studies of magnetic skyrmion systems, which allows for precise engineering of optimized skyrmion heterostructures.

Abstract:

Magnetic skyrmions are particle-like, topologically protected magnetization entities that are promising candidates for information carriers in racetrack-memory schemes. The transport of skyrmions in a shift-register-like fashion is crucial for their embodiment in practical devices. Recently, we demonstrated experimentally that chiral skyrmions in Cu2OSeO3 can be effectively manipulated by a magnetic field gradient, leading to a collective rotation of the skyrmion lattice with well-defined dynamics in a radial field gradient. Here, we employ a skyrmion particle model to numerically study the effects of resultant shear forces on the structure of the skyrmion lattice. We demonstrate that anisotropic peak broadening in experimentally observed diffraction patterns can be attributed to extended linear regions in the magnetic field profile. We show that topological (5-7) defects emerge to protect the six-fold symmetry of the lattice under the application of local shear forces, further enhancing the stability of proposed magnetic field driven devices.

Abstract:

Magnetic topological insulators (MTIs) are a novel materials class in which a topologically nontrivial electronic band structure coexists with long‐range ferromagnetic order. The ferromagnetic ground state can break time‐reversal symmetry, opening a gap in the topological surface states whose size is dependent on the magnitude of the magnetic moment. Doping with rare earth ions is one way to introduce higher magnetic moments into a material, however, in Bi2Te3 bulk crystals, the solubility limit is only a few percent. Using molecular beam epitaxy for the growth of doped (Sb,Bi)2(Se,Te)3 TI thin films, high doping concentrations can be achieved while preserving their high crystalline quality. The growth, structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of Dy, Ho, and Gd doped TI thin films will be reviewed. Indeed, high magnetic moments can be introduced into the TIs, which are, however, not ferromagnetically ordered. By making use of interfacial effects, magnetic long‐range order in Dy doped Bi2Te3, proximity‐coupled to the MTI Cr:Sb2Te3, has been achieved. Clearly, engineered MTI heterostructures offer new possibilities that combine the advantageous properties of different layers, and thus provide an ideal materials platform enabling the observation new quantum effects at higher temperatures.