UC Berkeley

The ability to control magnetism in sub-picosecond timescales using laser pulses has potential applications in fast magnetic devices. It has been demonstrated that a single femto-second laser pulse can reverse -The magnetization of a film within a few picoseconds [1], a phenomenon called as all-optical switching (AOS). However, this phenomenon thus far has been observed only in ferrimagnetic GdFeCo films. On -The o-Ther hand, ferromagnetic films, which are of greater interest than ferrimagnets in many technological applications, need multiple laser pulses for magnetization reversal [2], making -The overall effect slow and energy inefficient. Fast, singleshot switching of a ferromagnet can open up new avenues for spintronic devices that operate at unprecedented picosecond timescales, -Thereby making -Them viable non-volatile replacements for silicon based RAMs and logic devices.