Harnessing the power of topology in oxide electronics for future IT components

Lead Research Organisation: UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
Department Name: Oxford Physics

Abstract

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Studentship Projects

Project Reference Relationship Related To Start End Student Name
EP/R513295/1 30/09/2018 29/09/2023
2285094 Studentship EP/R513295/1 30/09/2019 29/06/2023 Jack Harrison
NE/W502728/1 31/03/2021 30/03/2022
2285094 Studentship NE/W502728/1 30/09/2019 29/06/2023 Jack Harrison
 
Description I have pushed the techniques available for studying the magnetic textures observable in alpha-Fe2O3, which are potential data carriers in next-generation post-CMOS computing devices, into the spaced of transmission-based x-ray measurements. This has allowed for in-situ investigations of the effects of temperature, strain and magnetic fields that were previously not available for experimental studies in electron emission based measurements. A reasonable number of advancements were needed to make these techniques work, some developed by my collaborators and some, primarily the development of masks for holography experiments, have undergone a number of failed trials and iterations in order to create viable workable versions. These investigations are ongoing but will be critical to the studies needed to advance antiferromagnetic topological texture based computing from an initial concept to a workable solution.

My micromagnetic models have opened up a set of future experiments by highlighting new topological texture types and phenomenology we could explore given reasonable material and heterostructure engineering. Several of these experimental routes are under experimental investigation at the time of writing and could lead to advancements towards antiferromagnetic topological texture based computing devices.
Exploitation Route Many of the technical advancements made to allow for synchrotron based transmission measurements of our antiferromagnetic films are applicable to a number of other material systems and we are currently exploring a number of other potential materials that either I or our collaborators could use these techniques to investigate.

My micromagnetic models are applicable to all A-type antiferromagnets, a material class abundant in nature and under extensive investigation across several fields, allowing them to hopefully be useful to many other research groups to aid in their own investigations of magnetic properties of these materials.
Sectors Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software)

Electronics
 
Title Micromagnetic model for A-type antiferromagnets 
Description I created a micromagnetic model based on the open-source code MuMax3 (https://mumax.github.io/) to study magnetic textures in A-type antiferromagnets such as alpha-Fe2O3, the key system for the majority of our experimental work. This allows me to accurately model the various magnetic interactions present in the system in order to determine the stability and scaling behaviour of the critical topological textures that are observed in our experimental work. 
Type Of Material Computer model/algorithm 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact This work not only provides a platform for independently verifying our experimental results, but also to predict new behaviour such as the stabilisation of the long sought-after antiferromagnetic skyrmions which we have predicted should be stable in alpha-Fe2O3 if we can induce a reasonable Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. This model is also applicable to general A-type antiferromagnets, potentially giving it a scope beyond our research to other groups studying magnetic phenomena in similar systems.