We demonstrate that positively and negatively field-shifted magnetic hysteresis loops can be obtained from a single continuous L-shaped magnetic nanostructure. This is achieved by controlling the coercivity of one arm of the L-shape structure with the magnetization direction of the orthogonal arm. Furthermore, a memory effect is demonstrated by reversing the magnetization direction of one arm while leaving the other unchanged. Good discrimination between the different switching field magnitudes and the ease of fabrication make these continuous magnetic structures more suitable than chains of discrete magnetic dots for performing logical operations.

1.
C.
Chappert
,
H.
Bernas
,
J.
Ferré
,
V.
Kottler
,
J.-P.
Jamet
,
Y.
Chen
,
E.
Cambril
,
T.
Devolder
,
F.
Rousseaux
,
V.
Mathet
, and
H.
Launois
,
Science
280
,
1919
(
1998
);
S. H.
Sun
,
C. B.
Murray
,
D.
Weller
,
L.
Folks
, and
A.
Moser
,
Science
287
,
1989
(
2000
);
J.
Lohau
,
A.
Moser
,
C. T.
Rettner
,
M. E.
Best
, and
B. D.
Terris
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
78
,
990
(
2001
).
2.
J. M.
Daughton
,
J. Appl. Phys.
81
,
3758
(
1997
);
S. A.
Wolf
,
D. D.
Awschalom
,
R. A.
Buhrman
,
J. M.
Daughton
,
S.
von Molnár
,
M. L.
Roukes
,
A. Y.
Chtchelkanova
, and
D. M.
Treger
,
Science
294
,
1488
(
2001
).
3.
R. P.
Cowburn
and
M. E.
Welland
,
Science
287
,
1466
(
2000
).
4.
D. A.
Allwood
,
Gang
Xiong
,
M. D.
Cooke
,
C. C.
Faulkner
,
D.
Atkinson
,
N.
Vernier
, and
R. P.
Cowburn
,
Science
296
,
2003
(
2002
).
5.
T.
Ono
,
H.
Miyajima
,
K.
Shigeto
,
K.
Mibu
,
N.
Hosoito
, and
T.
Shinjo
,
Science
284
,
468
(
1999
);
R. D.
McMichael
,
J.
Eicke
,
M. J.
Donahue
, and
D. G.
Porter
,
J. Appl. Phys.
87
,
7058
(
2000
).
6.
W.
Wernsdorfer
,
B.
Doudin
,
D.
Mailly
,
K.
Hasselbach
,
A.
Benoit
,
J.
Meier
,
J.-Ph.
Ansermet
, and
B.
Barbara
,
Phys. Rev. Lett.
77
,
1873
(
1996
);
T.
Schrefl
,
J.
Fidler
,
K. J.
Kirk
, and
J. N.
Chapman
,
J. Magn. Magn. Mater.
175
,
193
(
1997
).
7.
R. P.
Cowburn
,
J. Phys. D
33
,
R1
(
2000
).
8.
G.
Xiong
,
D. A.
Allwood
,
M. D.
Cooke
, and
R. P.
Cowburn
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
79
,
3461
(
2001
).
9.
R. P.
Cowburn
,
D. K.
Koltsov
,
A. O.
Adeyeye
, and
M. E.
Welland
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
73
,
3947
(
1998
).
10.
A.
Hirohata
,
Y. B.
Xu
,
J. A. C.
Bland
,
S. N.
Holmes
,
E.
Cambril
,
Y.
Chen
, and
F.
Rousseaux
,
J. Appl. Phys.
91
,
7308
(
2002
).
11.
C. H.
Lai
,
Y. H.
Wang
,
C. R.
Chang
,
J. S.
Yang
, and
Y. D.
Yao
,
Phys. Rev. B
64
,
094420
(
2001
).
12.
R. P. Cowburn (unpublished).
This content is only available via PDF.
You do not currently have access to this content.