In recent years magnetic skyrmions attracted great attention for the possibility to move them with low current density, their intrinsic stability and their robustness against defects and edge roughness compared to other magnetic textures. For applications, it is very important to be able to influence the behaviour of skyrmions locally. In this article, we present an evaluation on the effects of FIB Ga+ irradiation on skyrmion motion in W/CoFeB/MgO thin films. The influence of FIB irradiation is evaluated both, in terms of modification of the skyrmion Hall angle and the skyrmion velocity. An overview of the effects of the pulsing parameters on the skyrmion motion, shows low influence of the pulses rise-time and an external magnetic field. In addition the analysis after the irradiation shows that it influences notably the dynamics of skyrmions. In the irradiated zone the speed and angle of motion of these magnetic textures are strongly reduced.

Magnetic data storage and processing offer certain advances over conventional technologies, amongst which nonvolatility and low power operation are the most outstanding ones. Skyrmions are a promising candidate as a magnetic data carrier. However, the sputtering of skyrmion films and the control of the skyrmion nucleation, motion, and annihilation remains challenging. This work demonstrates that using optimized focused ion beam irradiation and annealing protocols enables the skyrmion phase in W/CoFeB/MgO thin films to be accessed easily. By analyzing ion‐beam‐engineered skyrmion hosting wires, excited by sub‐100 ns current pulses, possibilities to control skyrmion nucleation, guide their motion, and control their annihilation unfold. Overall, the key elements needed to develop extensive skyrmion networks are presented.

Domain-wall-based devices are considered one of the candidates for the next generation of storage memories and nanomagnetic logic devices due to their unique properties, such as nonvolatility, scalability, and low power consumption. Field or current-driven domain walls require a regular and controlled motion along the track in which they are stored in order to maintain the information integrity during operation. However, their dynamics can vary along the track due to film inhomogeneities, roughness of the edges, and thermal fluctuations. Consequently, the final position of the domain walls may be difficult to predict, making difficult the development of memory and logic applications. In this paper, we demonstrate how Ga + ion irradiation can be used to locally modify the material properties of the Ta/ CoFeB/MgO thin film, creating regions in which the domain wall can be trapped, namely motion barriers. The aim is to push the domain wall to overcome thin-film inhomogeneities effects, while stopping its motion at artificially defined positions corresponding to the irradiated regions. Increasing the driving force strength, the domain wall can escape, allowing the shifting between consecutive irradiated regions. In this way, the correct positioning of the domain walls after the motion is ensured. The study shows that the driving force strength, namely current density or magnetic field amplitude, needed to overcome the irradiated regions depends on the ion dose. These results show a reliable approach for domain wall manipulation, enabling a precise control of the domain wall position along a track with synchronous motion.