Operating principle of a three-terminal domain wall device with perpendicularly magnetized Ta/CoFeB/MgO free layer and underlying hard magnets

The behavior of a three-terminal domain wall (DW) device with a perpendicularly magnetized CoFeB free layer and underlying hard magnets was investigated. In a Ta/CoFeB/MgO free layer without hard magnets, a current-induced DW motion in the direction of electron flow was observed. In a device having a hard magnet under each end of the free layer, we found that a DW nucleated by injecting current played an important role in the switching of magnetization. We concluded that the switching of magnetization in our device is due to the displacement in the direction of electron flow of the DW created by current. After deriving the principle of operation through experiments, we describe a way to reduce the current required for writing by increasing the thickness of the hard magnets.