Skyrmions are magnetic bubbles in a special class of ferromagnetic materials. They are promising for new magnetic memory applications because moving magnetic skyrmions with electrical current takes 106 times less current density compared to conventional ferromagnetic domain walls. In addition, the size of the skyrmion can be as small as 1 nm allowing for ultra-high information storage densities. However, to achieve such promising applications, a deep understanding is required of the physical interactions required to make skyrmions stable at room temperature and zero applied magnetic field—the interplay between the exchange interaction and the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. With molecular beam epitaxy, we have been atomically engineering different skyrmion materials to change the relative strength of the aforementioned interactions. Our excellent materials capabilities allow us to explore the skyrmion phase space to create optimal systems for spintronic applications.
| Science | Epitaxial Growth … | Skyrmion Films and Multilayers