Spin-orbit torque in MgO/CoFeB/Ta/CoFeB/MgO symmetric structure with interlayer antiferromagnetic coupling

Shi, Guangyuan; Wan, Caihua; Chang, Y. S.; Li, F.; Zhou, Xiaofeng; Zhang, P. X.; Cai, Jianwang; Han, X. F.; Pan, Feng; Song, Cheng

doi:10.1103/physrevb.95.104435

Cited by 86 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…2c, the hole spin has an x component σ x in the minus direction due to these two effective magnetic fields. induces a damping-like torque (DLT) that is proportional to and whose direction is the same as that of 2,27 . Here, represents the unit magnetization vector, and is the x component of the spin polarization vector.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficient full spin–orbit torque switching in a single layer of a perpendicularly magnetized single-crystalline ferromagnet

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Spin–orbit torque (SOT), which is induced by an in-plane electric current via large spin-orbit coupling, enables an innovative method of manipulating the magnetization of ferromagnets by means of current injection. In conventional SOT bilayer systems, the magnetization switching efficiency strongly depends on the interface quality and the strength of the intrinsic spin Hall Effect. Here, we demonstrate highly efficient full SOT switching achieved by applying a current in a single layer of perpendicularly magnetized ferromagnetic semiconductor GaMnAs with an extremely small current density of ∼3.4 × 10 5 A cm −2 , which is two orders of magnitude smaller than that needed in typical metal bilayer systems. This low required current density is attributed to the intrinsic bulk inversion asymmetry of GaMnAs as well as its high-quality single crystallinity and large spin polarization. Our findings will contribute to advancements in the electrical control of magnetism and its practical application in semiconductor devices.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficient full spin–orbit torque switching in a single layer of a perpendicularly magnetized single-crystalline ferromagnet

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…So far, SOT-induced magnetization switching has been widely investigated [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] and extensive works have been done to eliminate the assistive magnetic field during SOT-induced magnetization switching with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, including the design of interlayer exchange coupling 18 , spin-orbit effects with spin-rotation symmetry 20,21 , lateral structural asymmetry 22,23 , in-plane exchange bias 24,25 , and heavy metals with opposite spin Hall angle 26 . Several studies involving magnetization switching of SAF induced by SOT have been reported [27][28][29][30] ; however, a relatively large in-plane magnetic field is needed to break the symmetry. Especially, the external assistive field should overcome the sum of the exchange coupling field and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) effective field to achieve the deterministic switching 28 , making it impractical for applications.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and field-free spin-orbit torque switching in synthetic antiferromagnets

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Perpendicularly magnetized synthetic antiferromagnets (SAF), possessing low net magnetization and high thermal stability as well as easy reading and writing characteristics, have been intensively explored to replace the ferromagnetic free layers of magnetic tunnel junctions as the kernel of spintronic devices. So far, utilizing spin-orbit torque (SOT) to realize deterministic switching of perpendicular SAF have been reported while a large external magnetic field is typically needed to break the symmetry, making it impractical for applications. Here, combining theoretic analysis and experimental results, we report that the effective modulation of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction by the interfacial crystallinity between ferromagnets and adjacent heavy metals plays an important role in domain wall configurations. By adjusting the domain wall configuration between Bloch type and Néel type, we successfully demonstrate the field-free SOT-induced magnetization switching in [Co/Pd]/Ru/[Co/Pd] SAF devices constructed with a simple wedged structure. Our work provides a practical route for utilization of perpendicularly SAF in SOT devices and paves the way for magnetic memory devices with high density, low stray field, and low power consumption.

show abstract

“…Similarly, the sawtooth-shaped current-induced switching phenomena were also reported in HM/AFM or AFM/HM stacks of NiO/Pt, Ta/MnN/Pt, α-Fe 2 O 3 /Pt, and Pt/PtMn, although the mechanisms of SOT-induced switching of the Néel vectors in these systems are still debated ( Baldrati et al., 2019 ; Zhang et al., 2019a ; Chiang et al., 2019 ; Shi et al., 2020 ). Meanwhile, SOT-induced switching of other AFM coupled systems, such as the synthetic AFMs with two antiferromagnetic coupled FM layers ( Shi et al., 2017 ; Zhang et al., 2018 ; Yu et al., 2018 ; Kong et al., 2018 ; Bi et al., 2017 ), and the compensated ferrimagnet comprising transition metal (Fe, Co, Ni) and rare earth elements (Gd, Tb, Dy, Rh, etc.) ( Finley and Liu, 2016 ; Mishra et al., 2017 ; Yu et al., 2019 ; Pham et al., 2018 ; Kim et al., 2017 ; Han et al., 2017 ; An et al., 2018b ; Cai et al., 2020 ) provide alternative approaches toward the AFM spin-orbitronics with advantages in processing speed (much higher precession frequency than FMs), data scalability (no stray field), and information security (zero net magnetization, and insensitive to external magnetic field).…”

Section: The Future Opportunitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospect of Spin-Orbitronic Devices and Their Applications

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary Science, engineering, and medicine ultimately demand fast information processing with ultra-low power consumption. The recently developed spin-orbit torque (SOT)-induced magnetization switching paradigm has been fueling opportunities for spin-orbitronic devices, i.e., enabling SOT memory and logic devices at sub-nano second and sub-picojoule regimes. Importantly, spin-orbitronic devices are intrinsic of nonvolatility, anti-radiation, unlimited endurance, excellent stability, and CMOS compatibility, toward emerging applications, e.g., processing in-memory, neuromorphic computing, probabilistic computing, and 3D magnetic random access memory. Nevertheless, the cutting-edge SOT-based devices and application remain at a premature stage owing to the lack of scalable methodology on the field-free SOT switching. Moreover, spin-orbitronics poises as an interdisciplinary field to be driven by goals of both fundamental discoveries and application innovations, to open fascinating new paths for basic research and new line of technologies. In this perspective, the specific challenges and opportunities are summarized to exert momentum on both research and eventual applications of spin-orbitronic devices.

show abstract

Spin-orbit torque in MgO/CoFeB/Ta/CoFeB/MgO symmetric structure with interlayer antiferromagnetic coupling

Cited by 86 publications

References 36 publications

Efficient full spin–orbit torque switching in a single layer of a perpendicularly magnetized single-crystalline ferromagnet

Efficient full spin–orbit torque switching in a single layer of a perpendicularly magnetized single-crystalline ferromagnet

Reducing Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and field-free spin-orbit torque switching in synthetic antiferromagnets

Prospect of Spin-Orbitronic Devices and Their Applications

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About