Electric-Field-Driven Magnetic Domain Wall Dynamics: A Multiferroic Route Toward Scalable and Low-Power Spintronic Logic

Abstract

Magnetic domain walls (DWs) are emerging as promising information carriers in the next generation of high-density, high-speed spintronic devices due to their fast mobility, scalability, and inherent non-volatility. However, conventional DW-based logic architectures rely heavily on external magnetic fields or spin-polarized currents, which hinder large-scale integration due to high energy consumption and limited spatial selectivity. In this study, we present a strain-mediated, electric-field-driven approach to manipulate DWs within multiferroic heterostructures, wherein a ferromagnetic Ni layer is elastically coupled to a piezoelectric PMN-PT substrate. The application of an electric field induces anisotropic strain in the substrate, which is transferred to the ferromagnetic layer, modulating its magnetic anisotropy and enabling deterministic control over DW generation, propagation, and pinning. Through comprehensive micromagnetic simulations, we demonstrate the implementation of fundamental Boolean logic operations through strain-controlled DW motion, illustrating the feasibility of energy-efficient logic-in-memory architectures. Our findings provide a scalable, low-power pathway for next-generation spintronic computing systems using strain-engineered domain wall logic.