Magnetic Normal Modes of Bi-Component Permalloy

Structures*
Extended Abstract†
Gorge Gubbiotti Pam Malagò Steve Fin
Istituto Officina dei Materiali Dipartimento di Fisica e Geologia Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze
P.O. Box 1212 P.O. Box 6221 P.O. Box 5000
Italy Italy Italy
gubbiotti@corporation.com malago@affiliation.org fin@affiliation.org

Som Tacchi Lamp Giovannini David Bisero

Dipartimento di Fisica e Geologia Dipartimento di Fisica e Geologia Dipartimento di Fisica e Geologia
P.O. Box 6221 P.O. Box 6221 P.O. Box 6221
Italy Italy Italy
tacchi@affiliation.org giovannini@affiliation.org bisero@affiliation.org

Mike Madami Glen Carlotti

Dipartimento di Fisica e Geologia Dipartimento di Fisica e Geologia
P.O. Box 6221 P.O. Box 6221
Italy Italy
madami@affiliation.org carlotti@affiliation.org

Figure 1: MOKE hysteresis loop for the bi-component Py/Co dots array measured along the dots long axis.

ABSTRACT thickness of 25 nm, length 1 m and width of 225 nm,

1
Two-dimensional arrays of bi-component structures have been prepared by a self-aligned shadow deposition
made of cobalt and permalloy elliptical dots with technique. Brillouin light scattering has been exploited to
study the frequency dependence.

*Produces the permission block, and copyright information CCS CONCEPTS

†The full version of the author’s guide is available as acmart.pdf

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WOODSTOCK’97, July 2016, El Paso, Texas USA https://doi.org/10.475/1145_4
WOODSTOCK’97, July 2016, El Paso, Texas USA G. Gubbiotti et al.

KEYWORDS D  600 nm. The scanning electron microscopy image of

ACM proceedings, text tagging the investigated bi-component sample, shown as inset of
Fig. 1, reveals that the dots edge is quite sharp and far
ACM Reference format: from that of an ideal ellipses. A reference sample
G. Gubbiotti, P. Malagò, S. Fin, S. Tacchi, L. Giovannini, D. consisting of an array of isolated bi-component elements
Bisero, M. Madami, and G. Carlotti. 1997. SIG Proceedings Paper with distance of 600 nm between the bi-component units
in word Format. In Proceedings of ACM Woodstock conference, El in both the in-plane directions, was also patterned using
Paso, Texas USA, July 1997 (WOODSTOCK’97), 6 pages. the same technique and used to perform control
https://doi.org/10.1145/123 4 experiment.
1 INTRODUCTION 2.2 Quasi-Static Measurements: MOKE and MFM
In the last decade, there has been an intense research 2.2.1 Component Structures. Hysteresis loops were
activity in studying the spectrum of magnetic eigenmodes measured in the longitudinal configuration by magneto-
both in single and multi-layered confined magnetic optical Kerr effect (MOKE) using a Photo-Elastic
elements with different shape and lateral dimensions [1– Modulator operating at 50 kHz and lock-in amplification.
3]. This interest has been further renewed by the The magnetic field, applied along the major axis of the
emergence of the spin-transfer torque effect, where a spin- elliptical elements, was swept between 1.0 and 1.0 kOe.
polarized current can drive microwave frequency To gain further information on the magnetization reversal
dynamics of such magnetic elements into steady-state process and the switching fields of the distinct dots,
precessional oscillations. Moreover, the knowledge of the longitudinal minor loops were also measured.
magnetic eigenmodes is very important also from a 2.2.2 Magnetization. To complement the above
fundamental point of view for probing the intrinsic analysis of the magnetization evolution under an external
dynamic properties of the nanoparticles. Besides, dense field, the magnetic states of the bi-component structures
arrays of magnetic elements have been extensively studied were directly imaged at different point of the hysteresis
in the field of Magnonic Crystals (MCs), that is magnetic cycle using in-field magnetic force microscopy (MFM) [5].
media with periodic modulation of the magnetic Eavesdropping. MFM images were recorded by a
parameters, for their capability to support the propagation Digital Instruments Nanoscope IIIa, using the phase
of collective spin waves [4,5]. It has been demonstrated detection mode, i.e., monitoring the cantilever's phase of
that in MCs the spin wave dispersion is characterized by oscillation while the magnetic tip was scanning the
magnonic band gaps, i.e. a similar feature was already sample surface at a distance of 120 nm on the average (lift
found in simple two-dimensional lattices with equal mode). Commercially available ferromagnetic CoCr-
elements like, for example, in two or four-sublattice coated tips, magnetized to be a north pole, were used. In
antiferromagnets and in two-sublattice antiferromagnets order to exclude the influence of the tip on the magnetic
in the presence of a spin-flop transition. In addition to state of the sample, we used different scanning directions
this, complex periodic arrays of dipolarly coupled and tip to sample distances, obtaining the same results
magnetic dots are of special interest because they can with different operating conditions.
support the propagation of non-reciprocal spin waves, i.e.
((k) ≠  (k)), where  is the angular frequency and k is 2.3 Dynamic Measurements: BLS
a wave vector, which could find application in the signal BLS spectra of the thermal magnetic excitations were
transmission and information processing as well as in the measured at room temperature in the back-scattering
design of microwave isolators and circulators.
geometry by using a (33)-pass tandem Fabry–Perot
2 EXPERIMENTAL AND COMPUTATIONAL interferometer. About 200 mW of monochromatic (  532
DETAILS nm) laser were focused onto a spot having a diameter of
about 30 microns. An external magnetic field with
2.1 Sample Fabrication intensity ranging between 1.0 kOe < H < 1.0 kOe was
applied parallel to the sample surface along the dots
Py/Co bi-component structures consisting of closely
length and perpendicular to the incidence plane of light
spaced (gap size d  35 nm) elliptical dots of thickness 25
(Voigt geometry).
nm, length 1 m and width 225 nm, respectively,
dispersed in two different kinds of lattices, were fabricated 2.4 Ground-State Magnetization Determination and
by a self-aligned shadow deposition technique [6–8]. The DMM Micromagnetic Simulations
Py composition is Ni80Fe20. The array is organized into
2.4.1 Determined. The magnetization ground-states as
closely-packed chains with inter-dot distance along the
well as the hysteresis loops were determined by using the
chain of D  140 nm while the inter-chain distance is OOMMF code. To reproduce the exact shape of the dots, a
2
Magnetic Normal Modes of Bi-Component Permalloy Structures WOODSTOCK’97, July 2016, El Paso, Texas USA

bitmap image of the basic unit of the bi-component dots c) The spectrum is computed directly in the frequency
was created from the SEM image of Fig. 1, and used as domain, d) The mode degeneracy is successfully solved, e)
input for the simulations. Periodic boundary conditions The spatial profiles of the spin-wave modes are directly
have been applied to account for the chain arrangement of determined as eigenvectors and, finally, f) The differential
the Py/Co dots in the investigated sample. scattering cross-section can be calculated accurately from
2.4.2 Micromagnetic. For each micromagnetic cell the the eigenvectors associated to each spin-wave mode. This
reduced magnetization takes the form where the is a clear indication that both the Py and Co sub-elements
magnetization (saturation magnetization) in the k-th cell; are in a single domain state where Py and Co
note that the saturation magnetization now depends on magnetizations are all oriented with their magnetic
the ferromagnetic material through the index k. Hence, in moment along the chain and field direction. At point 
a polar reference frame (H  372 Oe) of the hysteresis loop, where the plateau is
𝑛
𝑛
observed in the M-H loop, the dark and bright spots of the
(1
(𝑥 + 𝑎)𝑛 = ∑ ( ) 𝑥 𝑘 𝑎𝑛−𝑘 Py dots are reversed with respect to those of Co,
𝑘 )
𝑘=0 accounting for an antiparallel relative alignment of
where 𝐾 is the azimuthal (polar) angle of the magnetization.
magnetization (the time dependence is omitted). The
second derivatives of the energy density depend on the 3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
micromagnetic cell indexes, and through them on the 3.1 Magnetization Curves and MFM
material index corresponding either to Py or Co. The
Characterization
expressions of Eext, Eexch, Edmg and Eani are the same as the
ones of the single-component system apart from the The major hysteresis loop measured by MOKE, plotted in
explicit dependence of the magnetic parameters on the Fig. 1, displays a two-step switching process due to the
given ferromagnetic material. Note that, unlike the bi- distinct magnetization reversal of the Py and Co sub-
component system studied in Ref. 1, in the system studied elements, characterized by a different coercivity. As the
here the inter-dot exchange contribution is set equal to field is reduced from positive saturation (upper branch of
zero, because in each unit cell the two elliptical dots are the M-H loop), a 100% remanence is attained. On reversing
separated. Moreover, the uniaxial anisotropy energy the applied field, one observes a drop of the magnetization
density of Co is neglected. (between −240 and −370 Oe), proportional to the Py
It is possible to write the following periodicity rule magnetization fraction within each bi-component unit
valid for the dynamic magnetization 𝛿𝑚(𝑟) of each (about 36%) in good agreement with experimental result
collective mode, a version of the Bloch theorem, viz. Note (about 40%).
that, exchange contribution is set equal to zero, because in To directly visualize the evolution of the magnetization
each unit cell the two elliptical dots are separated. in the Py and Co subunits of our bi-component dots
Moreover, the uniaxial anisotropy energy density of Co is during the reversal process, we performed a field-
neglected Table 1. dependent MFM analysis whose main results are reported
in Fig. 2. At large positive field (H  800 Oe, not shown
−𝑏 ± √𝑏 2 − 4𝑎𝑐
𝑥= (2) here) and at remanence ( point of the hysteresis loop of
2𝑎 Fig. 1), the structures are characterized by a strong dipolar
Therefore one can observe either an in-phase (acoustic) contrast due to the stray fields emanated from both the Py
or an out-of-phase (optical) character of the modes, with and Co dots.
respect.
We would like to mention that the DMM presents
several advantages with respect to OOMMF for calculating
the spectrum of magnetic eigenmodes for the following
reasons: a) There is no need to excite the system by any
magnetic field pulse, b) A single calculation llows to
determine the frequencies

Table 1: Frequency of Special Characters

Non-English Frequency Comments Figure 2: MFM images of the bi-component Py/Co dots for
or Math different values of the applied magnetic field which are
Ø 1 in 1,000 For Swedish names indicated by greek letters along both the major and minor
$ 4 in 5 Used in business hysteresis loop.

3
WOODSTOCK’97, July 2016, El Paso, Texas USA G. Gubbiotti et al.

This is a clear indication that both the Py and Co sub-

elements are in a single domain state where Py and Co
magnetizations are all oriented with their magnetic
moment along the chain and field direction. At point 
(H  372 Oe) of the hysteresis loop, where the plateau is
observed in the M-H loop, the dark and bright spots of the
Py dots are reversed with respect to those of Co,
accounting for an antiparallel relative alignment of
magnetization.
At relatively large negative fields (point  H  770
Oe) the magnetization reversal is completed and the Figure 4: Calculated spatial distribution of the in-plane
magnetization of the two adjacent sub-elements are dynamic magnetization.
saturated in the negative direction. The ground state
remains unchanged when the field is now reduced to zero, They exhibit marked localization into either the Co or the
i.e. remanent state coming from negative saturation, as Py dots, as stated at the end of the previous Section, were
confirmed by the MFM image taken at point  of Fig. 1. it was introduced the labelling notation containing the
We have also used MFM to measure the magnetic dominant localization region (either Py or Co) and the
configurations along the minor hysteresis loop, described spatial symmetry (EM, F, DE, etc).
above. Once the AP ground state has been generated at When the dots are in the P state, up to five modes were
H  500 Oe, the applied field is increased in the positive detected in BLS spectra. On the basis of the calculated
direction. The MFM image taken at point ' of Fig. 2, profiles (right panel of Fig. 4), we identified in the P state
remanent state of the minor loop (H  0), shows that the the two modes at lowest frequencies as the EM(Py) and
AP state is stable and remains unchanged until the the F(Py), with a very small spin precession amplitude into
magnetic field is increased up to 300 Oe where the Py the Co dot. This is because for this material we are below
magnetization reverses its orientation and returns to be the frequency threshold for the existence of spin waves. A
aligned with that of Co dots. On the basis of the above similar effect has been observed in periodic array of
MFM investigation, one can say that the structures are alternating Permalloy and Co nanostripes
always in a single domain state, while the relative Note that the nodal lines present in the spatial profile
magnetization orientation between the adjacent Py and Co of the F (Co) mode perpendicular to the long axis of the
elements depends on both the field value and the sample ellipse do not correspond to a real change of sign of the
history. dynamic magnetization and are due to the partial
hybridization of the F mode with higher-order modes
3.2 Field Dependent BLS Measurements and DMM having frequencies close to the one of the F mode.
Calculations Interestingly, the frequency slope of modes localized into
Fig. 3 displays the frequencies of BLS peaks plotted as a the Co dots is larger than that of Py modes, due to larger
function of the applied field magnitude starting from values of the Co magnetization and gyromagnetic ratio.
positive values. Up to five peaks are measured in the An overall good agreement between the calculated (dotted
spectra, as shown in spectrum measured at H  0 Oe in curves) and measured frequency (full points) has been
the Fig. 3 inset, and their field evolution analyzed over the achieved (see Fig. 3) even if some discrepancies are
whole field range investigated. The detected modes are observed for the frequency of the EM and 1DE (Py) modes.
identified and labeled on the basis of their calculated The corresponding spatial profiles of the modes are
shown in the left panels of Fig. 4. Here one can see that
spatial profiles, shown in Fig. 4 for H  500 and 500 Oe.
the only mode which is purely localized in one dot is the
EM of Co, because now it is sub-threshold for Py. A
further reduction of H, which is sufficient to cause the Co
magnetization reversal, produces a P state at negative
fields and the frequency starts to increase again as a
function of the applied field. In this field range the
frequencies of modes in the Py dots monotonously
increase in a way similar to that measured in the P state
for positive field values while an abrupt change in the
frequency of Co modes occurs.
Figure 3: Dependence of the magnetic eigeinmode wave
frequency on the applied field strength.

4
Magnetic Normal Modes of Bi-Component Permalloy Structures WOODSTOCK’97, July 2016, El Paso, Texas USA

coupling arising from the adjacent Co dot plays a

significant role. In fact, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4, reversing
the field from 500 to 500 Oe, the frequencies of EM(Py)
and 1DE(Py) modes increase by about 0.2 GHz and 0.6
GHz, respectively, while that of F(Py) decreases by 0.25
GHz. The reason of this complex behavior will be
Figure 5: Full point are the frequencies measured along addressed in the following, analyzing the interplay of both
the minor hysteresis. static and dynamic dipolar coupling between the adjacent
Py and Co dots Table 2.
Notice that if one stops increasing the negative field to In Fig. 6 the calculated frequencies of the most
about 300 Oe and comes back towards positive applied representative eigenmodes at 500 Oe (FM state) and –
fields, BLS measurements can be performed following the 500 Oe (AP state) are plotted as a function of the gap size
minor hysteresis loop. This method permits to study, for d between the Py and Co sub units (please remind that in
example, the magnetization dynamics at remanence the real sample studied here, d  35 nm). As a general
(without any external applied magnetic field) when the comment, it can be seen that the frequencies for the
system is in the AP state (see MFM image ' in Fig. 2), a system in the AP state are more sensitive to d than those
configuration which cannot be achieved at remanence of the P state. In particular, the lowest three frequency
along the major M-H loop. In Fig. 5 we show the modes modes of the AP state (EM(Co), EM(Py) and F(Py)) are
frequency measured along the minor loop (full points) and downshifted with respect to the case of isolated elements
compare them with values measured along the major M-H (dotted lines) and show a marked decrease with reducing
loop (open points). d, while the two modes at higher frequencies (F(Co) and
By inspection of the frequency slope of the modes, one 1DE(Py)) have an opposite behavior even though they
can immediately understand the localization of modes into exhibit a reduced amplitude. In the P state (right panel),
dots of different materials looking at their slope. the modes concentrated into the Py dots exhibit a
Definition 3.1. A C-node is a set of live ranges (webs) in moderate decrease with reducing d, while an opposite but
the AG or IG that are coalesced. Nodes within the same C- less pronounced behavior is exhibited by the F(Co) mode.
node cannot interfere with each other on the IG. Before 1. Never, ever use vertical rules.
any coalescing is done, each live range is a C-node by 2. Never use double rules.
itself.
LEMMA 3.4. The solution to the C-MWPC problem is no Table 2: Comparison of Coefficients from Atomistic
worse than the solution to the MWPC.
PROOF. Simply, any solution to the MWPC is also a Atm MS-CG MS-CGDPD
solution to the C-MWPC. But some solutions to C-MWPC 1.78 14.32 1.74 (2%)
may not apply to the MWPC (if any coalescing were 0.43 31.00 0.40 (7%)
made). 0.062 15.61 0.048 (23%)
0.032 9.76 0.024 (24%)
In particular, for three (two) modes we measure a 0.020 4.66 0.015 (25%)
negative (positive) frequency slope with an almost linear 0.012 2.32 -"-
dependence on H. It is evident that modes with negative 0.0076 0.016 -"-
frequency slope are modes localized into the Py dot (EM, F
and 1DE) while the two with positive slope are the F(Co)
and the EM(Co) modes.

3.3 Analysis of the Dynamic Coupling as a Function

of the Gap Size
One interesting point which emerges from analysis of
Figs. 3 and 4 is that the frequency values of the
eigenmodes are not the same at 500 Oe and at 500 Oe.
This is expected for modes localized into the Co elements,
since the external field is either parallel or antiparallel to
their magnetization. However, for those mode localized
Figure 6: Calculated frequency evolution of modes
into the Py sub-element, one could have predicted to find detected in the BLS spectra.
the same frequency values at ±500 Oe, unless the dipolar

5
WOODSTOCK’97, July 2016, El Paso, Texas USA G. Gubbiotti et al.

4 CONCLUSIONS A.5 References

In summary, we have performed both an experimental
and theoretical study of the spin eigenmodes in dipolarly ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
coupled bi-component cobalt and permalloy elliptical This work was partially supported by the MIUR-PRIN
nanodots. Several eigenmodes have been identified and 2010–11 Project 2010ECA8P3 “DyNanoMag” and by the
their frequency evolution as a function of the intensity of National Research Foundation, Prime Minister's office,
the applied magnetic field has been measured by Brillouin Singapore under its Competitive Research Programme
light scattering technique, encompassing the ground states (CRP Award No. NRF-CRP 10-2012-03).
where the cobalt and permalloy dots magnetizations are
parallel or anti-parallel, respectively. In correspondence to REFERENCES
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A.1 Introduction [8] Ian Editor (Ed.). 2008. The title of book two (2nd. ed.). University of
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A.2 Experimental and Computational Details http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/3-540-09237-4
A.2.1 Sample Fabrication
A.2.2 Quasi-Static Measurements: MOKE and MFM
Component Structures
Magnetization
A.2.3 Dynamic Measurements: BLS
A.2.4 Ground-State Magnetization Determination and
DMM Micromagnetic Simulations
Determined
Micromagnetic
A.3 Results and Discussion
A.3.1 Magnetization Curves and MFM Characterization
A.3.2 Field Dependent BLS Measurements and DMM
Calculations
A.3.3 Analysis of the Dynamic Coupling as a Function
of the Gap Size
A.4 Conclusions
6