On spontaneous nucleation in field-accessed bubble devices

The dependence ot the in-plane drive field at which bubble domains spontaneously nucleate in field-accessed bubble devices has been investigated as a function ofH_{k} - 4piM_{s}and of spacer thickness between the bubble film and permalloy propagation elements. The experiments were carried out on amorphous GdCoMo bubble films with T-bar and Y-bar structures. For a given structure and spacer thickness the nucleation field increases linearly withH_{k} - 4piM. Larger spacer thicknesses also lead to increased nucleation fields. A model based on the Stoner-Wohlfarth astroid is compared to these data and found to be useful in explaining the qualitative trends, but to be in poor quantitative agreement. It is concluded that since the drive field required in a device is proportional to4piM_{s}, Q - 1 = (H_{k} - 4piM_{s})/4piM_{s}must be greater than some minimum value for a given device structure and spacer thickness to permit reliable device operation.     

New stable state of bubbles containing Bloch lines

A new kind of bubble having two stable states for a bias field HBhas been found in thin garnet films. The bubble becomes smaller with increasing HBand disappears abruptly at some critical fieldH_{C1}. However, it does not collapse atH_{C1}. When HBis lowered, it comes into sight suddenly at another critical fieldH_{C2}. This means that for HBbetweenH_{C1}andH_{C2}the bubble has two stable states, one for a large bubble and the other for an unobservably small bubble. This has been well explained in terms of the stability of bubbles containing a definite number of Bloch lines.     

Static and anhysteretic magnetic properties of tapes

The anhysteretic remanencebar{M}_{ar}(H_{o},T)of solidified suspensions of magnetic particles with predominant shape anisotropy is calculated from first principles for small dc fields Hoand arbitrary temperatureT < T_{B}(blocking temperature), describing the particle interactions by a mean field and assuming constant decrement of the ac field,2H_{d}per cycle. ForH_{d}< 2H_{o}, the anhysteretic distribution of particle magnetizations is found to be subject to the condition that the net internal dc fieldbar{H}_{i}is a minimum, and, for small Ho, to the condition,bar{H}_{i} = 0. The theory yieldsbar{M}_{ar}(H_{o},T)as a unique function of independently measurable static magnetic material properties, i.e., it contains no adjustable parameters and is hence quantitatively related to experimental data. Further, according to theory, ifbar{M}_{ar}(H_{o},T,T_{m})denotesbar{M}_{ar}as acquired in Hoat T and measured atT_{m}, bar{M}_{ar}(H_{o},T,T_{m} = T)is independent ofTforH_{d} ll 2H_{o}, andbar{M}_{ar}(H_{o},T,T_{m} neq T) = [M_{s}(T_{m})/M_{s}(T)] cdot bar{M}_{ar}(H_{o},T,T_{m} = T). The thermoremanent magnetization acquired in Hoand measured at a temperatureT_{m} ll T_{B},bar{M}_{thr}(H_{o},T_{m}), is related tobar{M}_{ar}(H_{o},T = T_{m}, T_{m})bybar{M}_{thr}(H_{o},T_{m}) = [M_{s}(T_{m})/M_{s}(T_{B})]bar{M}_{ar}(H_{o},T=T_{m},T_{m}), where TBis the blocking temperature below whichbar{M}_{thr}becomes thermally stable. Up to a constant factor of about 2, the theoretical results agree quantitatively with the experimental data on all materials that correspond to the premises of the theory, i.e., solidified suspensions, tapes in particular, of particles having predominant shape anisotropy.     

Gap-tolerant half-disk bubble device margins

A simple model is presented which allows accurate prediction of bias margins of gap-tolerant half-disk propagation tracks for bubble domains. After this is verified by comparison with experimental margin data, an "isomargin" plot is derived to show how the margin varies as a function ofWandG, whereWis the minimum linewidth andGis the inter-bar gap. The bias margin is shown to decrease along a fairly straight line which goes to zero whenW + Gequals the runout diameter, i.e., whenW+G approx 1.5 W_{s}, where Wsis the bubble stripwidth or average bubble diameter. This agrees with experiment, and means that the minimum resolvable feature for half-disk type patterns must be less than0.75W_{s}, and probably will not be much larger than0.5W_{s}to0.6W_{s}. It is concluded that, if made with perfect Permalloy, T-bars and half-disks should propagate isolated bubbles equally well. The advantages of half-disks over T-bars are 1) the fatal bar-crossing problem of T-bars with multiple bubbles is avoided, 2) the minimum propagation field is lower than for T-bars, and 3) half-disks seem more tolerant of "bad" (e.g., high-coercivity) Permalloy. Also tabulated are the effects on margins of variations in the device parameters of a representative design, as might be encountered in a fabrication process with finite tolerances. A brief discussion of stop-start margins is given in conclusion.     

Influence of an in-plane magnetic field on the domain-wall velocity in Ga: YIG films

Results are reported of an investigation on the velocity of a single straight magnetic domain wall in a Ga:YIG film as a function of the drive field and of a static magnetic field applied perpendicular to the wall in the plane of the film. At all drive fields a substantial increase of the wall velocity was observed when the in-plane field was applied. At an in-plane field of about 400 Oe and at a rather low drive field (2.4 Oe above the coercive field) a maximum value in wall velocity of 270 ms^-1was observed. At higher drive fields the wall velocity decreased to a constant value of 110 ms^-1, independent of the drive field. This behavior can be explained by extending Slonczewski's theory of domain wall motion to the present case. From the observed wall mobility parameter we have calculated the reduced Landau-Lifshitz damping constantlambda/gamma^{2}(3.7 times 10^{-9}Oe²s). This value is near to the value obtained by Spencer and LeCraw from linewidth measurements in FMR on Ga:YIG spheres (5 times 10^{-10}Oe²s).     

Models of elastic and inelastic flux switching

The totaldot{phi}(t)waveform of a square-loop magnetic core switched by MMFF(t)from negative remanencephi = -phi_{r}is composed of elasticdot{phi}_{epsilon}(t), decaying inelasticdot{phi}_{i}(t), and bell-shaped main inelasticdot{phi}_{ma}(t). The worst delta noise in a coincident-current memory core pair is essentiallydot{phi}_{i}(t). The sources of these components and the staticphi(F)curve are explained qualitatively by means of the random variations of the energy gradient vs. domain-wall position: elastic wall displacements and elastic rotation of magnetization inducedot{phi}_{epsilon}(t); minor inelastic wall displacements of essentially constant wall areas inducedot{phi}_{i}(t); and major inelastic wall displacements (involving domain collisions) of varying wall areas inducedot{phi}_{ma}(t). Semiempirical models for thedot{phi}components are based on the characteristics of these displacements. A satisfactory agreement is obtained between these models anddot{phi}(t)oscillograms of a thin ferrite core.     

Limits of validity of the one-dimensional wall theory for bubble materials

It is shown that the one-dimensional studies of the wall surrounding a bubble domain do not violate some necessary self-consistency requirements. Moreover, it is shown that the ratio of the magnetostatic self energy (which is neglected in these studies) to the total one-dimensional wall energy isT/Q, whereTis of the order of 1 for typical film thickness of a typical bubble material. This justifies the use of the one-dimensional wall for these materials, as long as the quality factorQ = K/(2piMmin{s}max{2})is large.     

Permanent magnet utilization criteria in a DC motor

In a dc motor with permanent magnet stator, the mean no-load working point of the magnet material can, after stabilization by stall current, be represented by a pointB_{m},H_{m}on a recoil line inside the demagnetization curve. The point results from the application during stall of an effective mean field Hadue to armature reaction in addition to the self-demagnetizing field due to circuit reluctance. It is shown that the motor specification and sizes lead to a specific value forH_{m}/H_{a}. The limiting values of this ratio (Hmzero or Hazero) imply that the corresponding optimum magnet designs for minimum magnet volume should be based either on maximum recoil energy or on(BH)_{max}. In practice, the best extreme working point during stall should lie between the points for these two criteria, dependent on the actualH_{m}/H_{a}. In some existing motorsH_{m}/H_{a}has been found to be between 0.5 and 1.5. For such values ofH_{m}/H_{a}, the variation of Bmand ofB_{m},H_{m}with working point is illustrated for high coercivity ferrite and for two grades of cast alnico alloy. A note on design methods is appended     

Bubble propagation by disks formed by ion-implantation

The investigation of implantation conditions for bubble propagation points to the necessity for a minimum dose (1.5 times 10^{16}ions cm²) and a sufficiently thick profile (0.4 μ). The use of flat profiles gives uniform implanted layers and allows values of the maximum defect concentration far away from the amorphization threshold. Unlike in permalloy circuits, bubble stability and bias field margins do not increase with the drive field. The propagation is not critically dependent upon disk diameter and spacing.     

Measurements of superconducting Nb3Sn cavities in the GHz range

Superconducting Nb3Sn Cavities have potential advantages over rf cavities with Nb surfaces To test possible applications and to improve the understanding of Nb3Sn coatings on Nb, rf cavities have been measured between 1.5 and 8K and between 0.1 and 7GHz. The temperature dependence of the surface resistance R(T) indicates weak superconducting spots with transition temperaturesTmin{c}max{ast} < 1K andTmin{c}max{ast} simeq 2.5K. The normal conducting spotsTmin{c}max{ast} lsim 1K cause the large rf residual lossesR'_{res} propto f^{2}observed up to date. The spots withTmin_{c}max_{ast} simeq 2.5K cause temperature dependences ofR'(T)between 2 and 6K, where RBCS(Nb3Sn) is still negligible. In line withR_{res} propto f^{2}, the lowest rf lossesR_{res} < 2.10^{-9}Omegaand the highest field strengthB_{crit} = 83 m^{T}(wedgeE_{peak} = 29have been observed at the lowest frequency 0.1GHz measured. Surface resistance and penetration depth measurements have shown that grain boundaries or hydrogen clusters do not cause the weak spots observed withTmin{c}max{ast} < 2.5K. The origin and the chemistry of the weak spots withTmin{c}max{ast} lsim 1K, which cause the largeR_{res} propto f^{2}and the lowB_{crit} (T) simeq const, are still not clear. They seem related to the Nb3Sn surface. The weak spots withTmin{c}max{ast} simeq 2.5K consist most likely of Nb6Sn5, which in cooling below 950°C precipitates due to the excess Sn present in Nb3Sn coatings grown in Sn vapor.     

Modeling and Simulation of a Single Tin Dioxide Nanobelt FET for Chemical Sensors

This paper presents the modeling and simulation of a tin dioxide (${rm SnO}_{2}$) field-effect transistor (FET)-based nanobelt gas sensor. The model results are compared to numerical simulations and experimental data obtained from published results describing the fabrication of single crystal nanobelts grown through thermal evaporation techniques. The fabricated sensor shows good response when exposed to oxygen (${rm O} _{2}$) and hydrogen (${rm H} _{2}$) at room temperature. Gas adsorption causes changes in the electrical contacts due to oxygen vacancies in the bulk. As a result, the ${rm I}$ -${rm V}$ characteristics are very different when the device is exposed to (${rm O} _{2}$) versus (${rm H} _{2}$ ). In the presence of ${rm H} _{2}$, the behavior of the contacts is ohmic and saturation is caused by pinch-off of the channel at the drain contact. However, in the presence of ${rm O} _{2}$ , the behavior of the contacts is Schottky, and device saturation occurs at the source end of the device. Our model is based on a depletion mode MOSFET and it accounts for both ohmic and Schottky contacts when the device is exposed to oxygen or hydrogen. It also provides a possible explanation for the gate bias dependence of the saturation current seen in some published characterization data.      

Uniaxial anisotropy by "radiomagnetic" treatment; controlling factors in a new process

A new process-an electron-"radiomagnetic" treatment-for obtaining high-remanence, low-coercive-force loops in magnetic alloys was recently announced. As an example, 2-MeV electron irradiation of 6-mil-thick ring laminations of polycrystalline 5-80 Mo Permalloy with 10¹⁷e/cm²in an applied circumferential magnetic field of 0.2 Oe atsim100degC produced record highs in remanence (∼6700 G) for this material. Additional studies of this process have been made to determine some of the controlling factors and the range of application. In particular, the effects of the dose (number of e/cm²) and of the preirradiation magnetic properties were examined. The results show that: 1) for a given dose of1.1 times 10^{17}2-MeV e/cm², the relative change in remanence (DeltaB_{r}/B_{r}) is always positive, ranging from 10 to 50 percent, but varies inversely with the preirradiation value of remanence (Br); 2) for the same dose, the relative change in coercive force (DeltaH_{c}/H_{c}) also depends upon the preirradiation value of remanence, but in a different way. ForB_{r} < 5000G,DeltaH_{c}/H_{c}is either negative or zero. ForB_{r} > 5000G,DeltaH_{c}/H_{c}is positive, ranging from 20 to 150 percent, and increases linearly withB_{r}; 3) if the dose is reduced tosim0.8 times 10^{17}e/cm², thenDeltaH_{c}/H_{c}is reduced to a tolerable level (∼10 percent) with no significant sacrifice in the positive gain in remanence and rectangularity. Hence, there are optimum dose ranges in the "radio-magnetic" treatments of alloys, where significant gains in remanence may be obtained without appreciable increases in coercive force.     

Combinatorial Screening of the BiDyYb Iron Garnet Material System for High Kerr Rotation Composition

We investigated the $(hbox{Bi}_{rm x}hbox{Dy}_{rm y}hbox{Yb}_{3-{rm x}-{rm y}})hbox{Fe}_{5}hbox{O}_{12}$ ternary combinatorial composition spread with the goal of finding new compositions with a large magneto-optical effect for possible use as magneto-optical storage materials. High-throughput magneto-optical characterization of the spread showed that the $hbox{Dy}_{0.6}hbox{Yb}_{0.5}hbox{Bi}_{1.9}hbox{Fe}_{5}hbox{O}_{12}$ composition has the largest Kerr effect in this ternary system. After annealing at 690 $^{circ}hbox{C}$ for 1 h, a scaled-up thin-film sample of this composition has a remanent magnetization as high as 90% of its saturation magnetization, indicating a good storage application potential.      

Wide PRIME-current range for all-magnetic shift registers

In an all-magnetic resistance-type shift register, a PRIME current pulsei_{p}(t), of amplitude Ip, is applied to Npand Nbturns through the minor and major apertures, respectively. For given operation frequencyf, the ratioR = I_{p}^{max}/I_{p}^{min}, whereI_{p}^{min} < I_{p} < I_{p}^{max}is the PRIME range of bistable operation, is maximized by matchingN_{p}/N_{b}so thatI_{p}^{max}values determined by spurious ZERO buildup and ONE dropout are the same. For a rectangular (or dc)i_{p}(t), the matchedN_{p}/N_{b}is fixed by the core properties, and R^maxis limited (e.g., <7). However, ifi_{p}(t)rises gradually, the matchedN_{p}/N_{b}depends also on the rise time Trofi_{p}(t). The lowerfis, with corresponding larger Tr, the smaller is the matchedN_{p}/N_{b}, and the larger is R^max. Calculation ofRis carried for ramp and half-sinusoidali_{p}(t)waveforms. The latter, for instance, atT = 25degC yields R^maxvalues of 14.0 and 22.0 forfof 1.0 and 0.5 kc/s respectively. Such wide PRIME ranges permit reliable register operation in a wide temperature range without resorting to temperature compensation of Ip. Experimental results are in agreement with the calculation.     

Full Wheatstone Bridge Spin-Valve Based Sensors for IC Currents Monitoring

Full Wheatstone bridge spin-valve-based electrical current sensors at the IC level are presented. Prototypes with different geometrical parameters have been designed, fabricated and fully characterized. DC characterization has been carried out, for measurement of insertion losses, linearity, voltage offset and sensitivity. Current ranges from 10 $mu{rm A}$ to 100 mA can be covered with these sensors with excellent linearity and sensitivities above 1 ${rm mV}/({rm V}cdot{rm mA})$ . AC characteristics have also been analyzed and bandwidths exceeding 100 kHz are demonstrated. Moreover, the temperature coefficients have been extracted in the range of $-20^{circ}{rm C}$ to $+60^{circ}{rm C}$. In order to highlight the design properties, dependence of the sensor's performance with external magnetic perturbations and self-heating have also been measured and quantified. The associated errors are in the range of 1%–2% of the full scale.      

Dielectric behaviour of a ferrofluid subjected to a uniform magnetic field

The electric susceptibility of samples of ferrofluids subjected to a uniform magnetic fieldHwas measured. The electric susceptibilitychiis dependent on the magnitude of the magnetic field and on the relative direction between the electric fieldEand the magnetic fieldH. 1) WhenEis perpendicular toH, frac{partialchi_{perp}}{partialH} < 02) WhenEis parallel toH, frac{partialchi_{parellel}}{partialH} > 0These results have been interpreted as a magneto-electric directive effect. A model is proposed, based on the assumption that the magnetic particles are roughly ellipsoidal and conducting grains.     

A new principle for fast DC-sensitive potential-independent current comparators

A new principle of operation makes feasible small, cheap potential-independent current comparators whose performance reaches or exceeds the best properties of bulky magnetic amplifiers of the second-harmonic type. Connection of a ferrite-core coil in parallel with a suitable negative resistance generates relaxation oscillationsg(t). Inherently, at large oscillations the coil (i,phi)- characteristic is perfectly symmetric about the origin:phi(-i) = -phi(i). Provided that the negative-resistance (i,u)- characteristic has the same symmetry:i(-u) = -i(u), the oscillationsg(t)are perfectly symmetrical in the sense thatg(t+T/2) = -g(t). Heregrepresents either the coil flux φ, the currentior the voltageu. The time istandTthe oscillation period. External magnetomotive force shifts the coil (i,phi)-characteristics, invalidating (1) and therefore (3). Consequently, the deviation from 50% duty-ratio of the oscillatingq(t)is a sensitive and extremely stable measure of this MMF. Neither core temperature, pressure nor magnetic creep cause any zero drift. Orders of magnitude reached experimentally are: Short-time zero instability and noise:leq 10^{-5}ampere-turn, time resolution:leq 10^{-4}s, zero drift from -70 to +100°C:< 10^{-4}ampere-turn.     

The measurement of the anisotropy field of cylindrical thin magnetic films

The described method for the anisotropy field measurement uses two fields HLand HT. The deviation of magnetization from the easy direction, and hence also sense signals, are proportional to these fields. The ratio of two integrated sense signals atH_{L} = 0andH_{L} neq 0reaches a certain value (∼ 2.5) with fieldH_{T} = H_{k}. In this way, Hkmay be measured by a device designed for the coercive force measurement.     

A magnetic shift register employing controlled domain wall motion

A shift register based on controlled domain wall propagation in a magnetic wire with an axial easy direction has been developed. The operational characteristics of an experimental model are discussed. Some hard drawn magnetic materials have been shown to have at least a 3-to-1 nucleation-to-propagation threshold field window over several hundred foot lengths of wire which guarantees operation, This is accomplished without putting the wire under tension. One such promising material is a modified 79-percent Ni, 17- percent Fe, 3-percent Nb, 1-percent Ag, permalloy. An experimental5 times 10^{3}-bit shift register has been constructed with 0.8-mil hard drawn Nb, Ag permalloy and operated at speeds of5 times 10^{3}bps with 12-percent drive current margins. The input power at this rate is approximately 1 mW/bit.     

Bit Storage by 360 $^{circ}$ Domain Walls in Ferromagnetic Nanorings

We propose a theoretical design for a magnetic memory cell, based on thin-film ferromagnetic nanorings, that can efficiently store, record, and read out information. An information bit is represented by the polarity of a stable 360$^{circ}$ domain wall introduced into the ring. Switching between the two magnetization states is done by a current applied to a wire passing through the ring, whereby the 360$^{circ}$ domain wall splits into two charged 180 $^{circ}$ walls, which then move to the opposite extreme of the ring to recombine into a 360 $^{circ}$ wall of the opposite polarity.