Voltage-induced switching of nanoscale magnetic tunnel junctions

We demonstrate voltage-induced (non-STT) switching of nanoscale, high resistance voltage-controlled magnetic tunnel junctions (VMTJs) with pulses down to 10 ns. We show ∼10x reduction in switching energies (compared to STT) with leakage currents < 10
⁵
A/cm
²
. Switching dynamics, from quasi-static to the nanosecond regime, are studied in detail. Finally, a strategy for eliminating the need for external magnetic-fields, where switching is performed by set/reset voltages of different amplitudes but same polarity, is proposed and verified experimentally.