Role of Spin Momentum Current in Magnetic Non-Local Damping of Ultrathin Film Structures

Abstract

Non-local damping was investigated by Ferromagnetic Resonance (FMR) using ultrathin magnetic single and double layer structures prepared by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE). The double layer structures show magnetic damping which is caused by spin transport across a normal metal spacer (N). In double layer structures a thin Fe layer, Fl, was separated from a thick Fe layer, F2, by a Au(001) spacer. The interface magnetic anisotropies separated the FMR fields of F1 and F2 by a big margin allowing one to investigate FMR in F1 while F2 had a negligible angle of precession, and vice versa. The Fe films in magnetic double layers acquire non-local interface Gilbert damping. It will be shown that the precessing magnetic moments act as spin pumps and spin sinks. This concept was tested by investigating the FMR linewidth around an accidental crossover of the resonance fields for the layers F1 and F2. There is another possible mechanism for non-local damping which is based on a "breathing Fermi surface" of the spacer. The temperature dependence of the non-local damping indicates that this mechanism is weak in Au spacers. Surprisingly the Au spacer acts as an additional impedance for the spin pump mechanism. Finally, it will be shown that electron-electron correlations in a Pd spacer can lead to a significant enhancement of the non-local damping.

Two-magnon scattering in a self-assembled nanoscale network of misfit dislocations

“…In all our studies we have not found any in-plane angular dependent damping that would be of intrinsic origin. In fact, our interpretation of the anisotropic FMR linewidth in 20Au/30Fe/40Au/4Pd/͓Pd/Fe͔ 5 /16Fe/GaAs͑001͒ and Au/ 30Fe/40Au/9Pd/16Fe/GaAs͑001͒ structures by an anisotropic Stoner enhancement factor in spin pumping [33][34][35] was incorrect. In both structures the anisotropic part of the FMR linewidth was caused by the two-magnon scattering mechanism described above.…”