Magnetization reversal signatures of hybrid and pure Néel skyrmions in thin film multilayers

Abstract

We report a study of magnetization reversals and skyrmion configurations in two systems, Pt/Co/MgO and Ir/Fe/Co/Pt multilayers, where magnetic skyrmions are stabilized by a combination of dipolar and Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interactions (DMIs). The First Order Reversal Curve (FORC) diagrams of low-DMI Pt/Co/MgO and high-DMI Ir/Fe/Co/Pt exhibit stark differences, which are identified by micromagnetic simulations to be indicative of hybrid and pure Néel skyrmions, respectively. Tracking the evolution of FORC features in multilayers with dipolar interactions and DMI, we find that the negative FORC valley, typically accompanying the positive FORC peak near saturation, disappears under both reduced dipolar interactions and enhanced DMI. As these conditions favor the formation of pure Néel skyrmions, we propose that the resultant FORC feature—a single positive FORC peak near saturation—can act as a fingerprint for pure Néel skyrmions in multilayers. Our study thus expands on the utility of FORC analysis as a tool for characterizing spin topology in multilayer thin films.