Evaluation of edge domains in giant magnetoresistive junctions

Frost, W.*; Seki, Takeshi*; Kubota, Takahide*; Ramos, R.*; Saito, Eiji; Takanashi, Koki*; Hirohata, Atsufumi*

We demonstrate that the spin-Seebeck effect can be used to estimate the volume of edge domains formed in a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) device. The thermal gradient induced by Joule heating can be harnessed by the addition of a ferromagnetically insulating channel of FeO on the sides of the GMR pillar. This generates a spin wave in FeO, which couples with the free-layer edge magnetization and controls the reversal of the ferromagnetic layers in one direction only, increasing the current density from A/cm to A/cm. By simple assumption, we estimate the effect of the edge domain on magnetization reversal to be by spin-transfer torque.