Magneto-resistive memory in ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)As nanostructures

Abstract

An effect of hysteretic magnetoresistance is demonstrated, which appears in lithographically patterned four-terminal nanostructures, consisting of two perpendicularly crossed nanowires formed in the epitaxial layer of a ferromagnetic (Ga, Mn)As semiconductor. In this effect, the zero-field resistance of a nanowire depends on the direction of the previously applied magnetic field, as a result of a rearrangement of magnetic domain walls located in the structure, which contribute an extra resistance to the nanowires. © 2009 American Institute of Physics.