Magnetic Thin Films used for Memory Devices: A Scientometric Analysis

Ultra-thin ferromagnetic films coupled with nonmagnetic layers are extensively studied for their potential applications in data storage. The conventional memory industry is currently in the spotlight, with researchers worldwide contributing toward better data storage technologies that can tackle the data storage problems posed by this era of big data. Various technologies such as perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) and heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) have been introduced since Poulson’s idea of storing signals was conceptualized. With the introduction of new technologies, like PMR and HAMR, various materials have to be restudied for potential recording media implementation. It is vital to carry out scientometric/bibliometric studies before extensive research. It gives us an insight into the significance of the topic and the gap in the research work. This paper presents a scientometric study from 2010 to 2022 of all the magnetic thin films used for various applications. It provides an overview of the technologies and literature study of their development in data storage applications. The study discusses the analytic results from different comprehensive high indexed databases such as Scopus, Web of Science (WoS), Google Scholar, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). To contribute meaningful insights and the perfect representation of the extracted data, various tools like iMapbuilder, Gephi and RAWgraphs are used in this article.

Keywords: Data storage application, Magnetic anisotropy, Magnetic recording media, Resistive switching memory, scientometric analysis, Ultra-thin ferromagnetic films.