Magnetic tunnel junction sets new speed record

Researchers at Irig developed an ultra-fast magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) that could be used to log events captured by stroboscopic photography. They used a terbium-cobalt layer whose magnetization can be switched using a femtosecond laser. A second magnetic layer is made from a material whose magnetization is not switchable. The magnetizations of these two layers (which are either the same or opposite) control an electrical current measured at the output.

The laser pulses are a million times faster than electrical pulses and use much less energy. The research that led to this advance was part of an EU project that will be completed in 2020. Ultimately, the goal is to build a demonstrator of this spintronic device with optical write and electric read capabilities.

Contact: ricardo.sousa@cea.fr

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