Material Parameters for Faster Ballistic Switching of an In-plane Magnetized Nanomagnet

Abstract

High-speed magnetization switching of a nanomagnet is necessary for faster information processing. The ballistic switching by a pulsed magnetic filed is a promising candidate for the high-speed switching. It is known that the switching speed of the ballistic switching can be increased by increasing the magnitude of the pulsed magnetic field. However it is difficult to generate a strong and short magnetic field pulse in a small device. Here we explore another direction to achieve the high-speed ballistic switching by designing material parameters such as anisotropy constant, saturation magnetization, and the Gilbert damping constant. We perform the macrospin simulations for the ballistic switching of in-plane magnetized nano magnets with varying material parameters. The results are analyzed based on the switching dynamics on the energy density contour. We show that the pulse width required for the ballistic switching can be reduced by increasing the magnetic anisotropy constant or by decreasing the saturation magnetization. We also show that there exists an optimal value of the Gilbert damping constant that minimizes the pulse width required for the ballistic switching.