In the last decade, nanoscale resistive devices with memory have been the subject of intense study because of their possible use in brain-inspired computing. However, operational endurance is one of the limiting factors in the adoption of such technology. For this reason, we discuss the emergence of current-induced memristance in magnetic materials, known for their durability. We show analytically and numerically that a single ferromagnetic layer can possess GHz memristance, due to a combination of two factors: a current-induced transfer of angular momentum (Zhang-Li torque) and the anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR). We term the resulting effect the anisotropic magneto-memristance (AMM). We connect the AMM to the topology of the magnetization state, within a simple model of a 1-dimensional annulus-shaped magnetic layer, confirming the analytical results with micromagnetic simulations for permalloy. Our results open a new path towards the realization of single-layer magnetic memristive devices operating at GHz frequencies.
@article{arxiv.2109.05101,
title = {Anisotropic MagnetoMemristance},
author = {Francesco Caravelli and Ezio Iacocca and Gia-Wei Chern and Cristiano Nisoli and Clodoaldo I. L. de Araujo},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2109.05101},
year = {2022}
}