Emergent Spin Dynamics Enabled by Lattice Interactions in a Bicomponent Artificial Spin Ice

Nano Lett. 2021 Mar 10;21(5):1921-1927. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c03729. Epub 2021 Feb 18.

Abstract

Artificial spin ice (ASI) networks are arrays of nanoscaled magnets that can serve both as models for frustration in atomic spin ice as well as for exploring new spin-wave-based strategies to transmit, process, and store information. Here, we exploit the intricate interplay of the magnetization dynamics of two dissimilar ferromagnetic metals arranged on complementary lattice sites in a square ASI to modulate the spin-wave properties effectively. We show that the interaction between the two sublattices results in unique spectra attributed to each sublattice, and we observe inter- and intralattice dynamics facilitated by the distinct magnetization properties of the two materials. The dynamic properties are systematically studied by angular-dependent broadband ferromagnetic resonance and confirmed by micromagnetic simulations. We show that combining materials with dissimilar magnetic properties enables the realization of a wide range of two-dimensional structures, potentially opening the door to new concepts in nanomagnonics.

Keywords: Artificial spin ice; ferromagnetic resonance; magnonics; micromagnetic simulations; nanomagnetism; spin dynamics.