Mechanical Tuning of Magnetic Anisotropy

This paper demonstrates piezo-mechanical manipulation of magnetic anisotropy in a thin-film CoFeB ferromagnet (FM) via magnetostriction effect. A 20 nm thick CoFeB resistor is fabricated at the base of an AlN cantilever and its magnetization change is detected by measuring anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR). The uniaxial strain induced in the CoFeB strip by cantilever bending exhibits a 22% change in AMR and rotates the magnetic anisotropy by 20°.