Pulsed field induced magnetization switching in (Ga,Mn)As

Up to now, all high frequency switching experiments on ferromagnetic semiconductors have involved light induced switching, which is not compatible with integrated circuits. We employed all-electrical techniques to study the response of (Ga,Mn)As to a magnetic field pulse. A field pulse was applied through a coplanar waveguide and the magnetization was read out by anisotropic magnetoresistance. We demonstrated that full magnetization switching by domain wall nucleation and propagation can be triggered by pulses as short as 800 ps, combining the effect of the pulsed field and a heat-induced reduction of the coercive field.