Sawtooth anisotropy-driven skyrmion and domain wall dynamics for artificial neuron applications

Spintronic-based brain-inspired neuromorphic computing has recently attracted significant attention due to the exceptional properties of magnetic microstructures, including nanoscale dimensions, high stability, and low energy consumption. Despite these advantages, the practical implementation of such microstructures into functional devices remains challenging due to complex fabrication and unwanted pinning effects, which hinder reliable operation. In this work, we present a simulation-based design of an energy-efficient neuromorphic device utilizing both magnetic skyrmions and domain walls (DWs) as information carriers. By engineering the system anisotropy into a sawtooth-type, forming alternating high and low -anisotropy regions where current pulses are required only to overcome local energy barriers at high-anisotropy regions, enabling controlled and energy-efficient propagation. This mechanism enables stable, step-wise motion of magnetic microstructures and successfully emulates the integrate-and-fire (IF) behaviour of biological neurons. Thus, proposed design presents an experimentally reliable and energy efficient external stimuli approach for tailoring magnetic microstructures dynamic behaviours, resulting in low energy consumption of 23.66 fJ per spike paving the way for the development of skyrmion-based futuristic neuromorphic computing device applications.