60 research outputs found
Unidirectional spin Hall magnetoresistance in ferromagnet/normal metal bilayers
Magnetoresistive effects are usually invariant upon inversion of the
magnetization direction. In noncentrosymmetric conductors, however, nonlinear
resistive terms can give rise to a current dependence that is quadratic in the
applied voltage and linear in the magnetization. Here we demonstrate that such
conditions are realized in simple bilayer metal films where the spin-orbit
interaction and spin-dependent scattering couple the current-induced spin
accumulation to the electrical conductivity. We show that the longitudinal
resistance of Ta|Co and Pt|Co bilayers changes when reversing the polarity of
the current or the sign of the magnetization. This unidirectional
magnetoresistance scales linearly with current density and has opposite sign in
Ta and Pt, which we associate with the modification of the interface scattering
potential induced by the spin Hall effect in these materials. Our results
suggest a route to control the resistance and detect magnetization switching in
spintronic devices using a two-terminal geometry, which applies also to
heterostructures including topological insulators
Spin wave emission by spin-orbit torque antennas
We study the generation of propagating spin waves in Ta/CoFeB waveguides by
spin-orbit torque antennas and compare them to conventional inductive antennas.
The spin-orbit torque was generated by a transverse microwave current across
the magnetic waveguide. The detected spin wave signals for an in-plane
magnetization across the waveguide (Damon-Eshbach configuration) exhibited the
expected phase rotation and amplitude decay upon propagation when the current
spreading was taken into account. Wavevectors up to about 6 rad/m could be
excited by the spin-orbit torque antennas despite the current spreading,
presumably due to the non-uniformity of the microwave current. The relative
magnitude of generated anti-damping spin-Hall and Oersted fields was calculated
within an analytic model and it was found that they contribute approximately
equally to the total effective field generated by the spin-orbit torque
antenna. Due to the ellipticity of the precession in the ultrathin waveguide
and the different orientation of the anti-damping spin-Hall and Oersted fields,
the torque was however still dominated by the Oersted field. The prospects for
obtaining a pure spin-orbit torque response are discussed, as are the energy
efficiency and the scaling properties of spin-orbit torque antennas.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figure
Ultrafast magnetization switching by spin-orbit torques
Spin-orbit torques induced by spin Hall and interfacial effects in heavy
metal/ferromagnetic bilayers allow for a switching geometry based on in-plane
current injection. Using this geometry, we demonstrate deterministic
magnetization reversal by current pulses ranging from 180~ps to ms in
Pt/Co/AlOx dots with lateral dimensions of 90~nm. We characterize the switching
probability and critical current as function of pulse length, amplitude,
and external field. Our data evidence two distinct regimes: a short-time
intrinsic regime, where scales linearly with the inverse of the pulse
length, and a long-time thermally assisted regime where varies weakly.
Both regimes are consistent with magnetization reversal proceeding by
nucleation and fast propagation of domains. We find that is a factor 3-4
smaller compared to a single domain model and that the incubation time is
negligibly small, which is a hallmark feature of spin-orbit torques
Symmetry and magnitude of spin-orbit torques in ferromagnetic heterostructures
Current-induced spin torques are of great interest to manipulate the
orientation of nanomagnets without applying external magnetic fields. They find
direct application in non-volatile data storage and logic devices, and provide
insight into fundamental processes related to the interdependence between
charge and spin transport. Recent demonstrations of magnetization switching
induced by in-plane current injection in ferromagnetic heterostructures have
drawn attention to a class of spin torques based on orbital-to-spin momentum
transfer, which is alternative to pure spin transfer torque (STT) between
noncollinear magnetic layers and amenable to more diversified device functions.
Due to the limited number of studies, however, there is still no consensus on
the symmetry, magnitude, and origin of spin-orbit torques (SOTs). Here we
report on the quantitative vector measurement of SOTs in Pt/Co/AlO trilayers
using harmonic analysis of the anomalous and planar Hall effects as a function
of the applied current and magnetization direction. We provide an all-purpose
scheme to measure the amplitude and direction of SOTs for any arbitrary
orientation of the magnetization, including corrections due to the interplay of
Hall and thermoelectric effects. Based on general space and time inversion
symmetry arguments, we show that asymmetric heterostructures allow for two
different SOTs having odd and even behavior with respect to magnetization
reversal. Our results reveal a scenario that goes beyond established models of
the Rashba and spin Hall contributions to SOTs. The even SOT is STT-like but
stronger than expected from the spin Hall effect in Pt. The odd SOT is composed
of a constant field-like term and an additional component, which is strongly
anisotropic and does not correspond to a simple Rashba field.Comment: Supplementary Informations follows Paper in the .pdf fil
Time- and spatially-resolved magnetization dynamics driven by spin-orbit torques
Current-induced spin-orbit torques (SOTs) represent one of the most effective
ways to manipulate the magnetization in spintronic devices. The orthogonal
torque-magnetization geometry, the strong damping, and the large domain wall
velocities inherent to materials with strong spin-orbit coupling make SOTs
especially appealing for fast switching applications in nonvolatile memory and
logic units. So far, however, the timescale and evolution of the magnetization
during the switching process have remained undetected. Here, we report the
direct observation of SOT-driven magnetization dynamics in Pt/Co/AlO dots
during current pulse injection. Time-resolved x-ray images with 25 nm spatial
and 100 ps temporal resolution reveal that switching is achieved within the
duration of a sub-ns current pulse by the fast nucleation of an inverted domain
at the edge of the dot and propagation of a tilted domain wall across the dot.
The nucleation point is deterministic and alternates between the four dot
quadrants depending on the sign of the magnetization, current, and external
field. Our measurements reveal how the magnetic symmetry is broken by the
concerted action of both damping-like and field-like SOT and show that
reproducible switching events can be obtained for over reversal
cycles
Time- and spatially-resolved magnetization dynamics driven by spin-orbit torques
Current-induced spin-orbit torques (SOTs) represent one of the most effective
ways to manipulate the magnetization in spintronic devices. The orthogonal
torque-magnetization geometry, the strong damping, and the large domain wall
velocities inherent to materials with strong spin-orbit coupling make SOTs
especially appealing for fast switching applications in nonvolatile memory and
logic units. So far, however, the timescale and evolution of the magnetization
during the switching process have remained undetected. Here, we report the
direct observation of SOT-driven magnetization dynamics in Pt/Co/AlO dots
during current pulse injection. Time-resolved x-ray images with 25 nm spatial
and 100 ps temporal resolution reveal that switching is achieved within the
duration of a sub-ns current pulse by the fast nucleation of an inverted domain
at the edge of the dot and propagation of a tilted domain wall across the dot.
The nucleation point is deterministic and alternates between the four dot
quadrants depending on the sign of the magnetization, current, and external
field. Our measurements reveal how the magnetic symmetry is broken by the
concerted action of both damping-like and field-like SOT and show that
reproducible switching events can be obtained for over reversal
cycles
Fieldlike and antidamping spin-orbit torques in as-grown and annealed Ta/CoFeB/MgO layers
Under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0 (CC-BY).-- et al.We present a comprehensive study of the current-induced spin-orbit torques in perpendicularly magnetized Ta/CoFeB/MgO layers. The samples were annealed in steps up to 300 °C and characterized using x-ray-absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, resistivity, and Hall effect measurements. By performing adiabatic harmonic Hall voltage measurements, we show that the transverse (fieldlike) and longitudinal (antidampinglike) spin-orbit torques are composed of constant and magnetization-dependent contributions, both of which vary strongly with annealing. Such variations correlate with changes of the saturation magnetization and magnetic anisotropy and are assigned to chemical and structural modifications of the layers. The relative variation of the constant and anisotropic torque terms as a function of annealing temperature is opposite for the fieldlike and antidamping torques. Measurements of the switching probability using sub-μs current pulses show that the critical current increases with the magnetic anisotropy of the layers, whereas the switching efficiency, measured as the ratio of magnetic anisotropy energy and pulse energy, decreases. The optimal annealing temperature to achieve maximum magnetic anisotropy, saturation magnetization, and switching efficiency is determined to be between 240 and 270°C.This work was supported by the the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Programme (GA 318144, SPOT), the European Research Council (StG 203239 NOMAD), the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MAT2010-15659), and the Swiss Competence Centre for Materials Science and Technology (CCMX).Peer Reviewe
Tailoring the switching efficiency of magnetic tunnel junctions by the fieldlike spin-orbit torque
Current-induced spin-orbit torques provide a versatile tool for switching
magnetic devices. In perpendicular magnets, the dampinglike component of the
torque is the main driver of magnetization reversal. The degree to which the
fieldlike torque assists the switching is a matter of debate. Here we study the
switching of magnetic tunnel junctions with a CoFeB free layer and either W or
Ta underlayers, which have a ratio of fieldlike to dampinglike torque of 0.3
and 1, respectively. We show that the fieldlike torque can either assist or
hinder the switching of CoFeB when the static in-plane magnetic field required
to define the polarity of spin-orbit torque switching has a component
transverse to the current. In particular, the non-collinear alignment of the
field and current can be exploited to increase the switching efficiency and
reliability compared to the standard collinear alignment. By probing individual
switching events in real-time, we also show that the combination of transverse
magnetic field and fieldlike torque can accelerate or decelerate the reversal
onset. We validate our observations using micromagnetic simulations and
extrapolate the results to materials with different torque ratios. Finally, we
propose device geometries that leverage the fieldlike torque for density
increase in memory applications and synaptic weight generation
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