0000000000459862
AUTHOR
T. Schulz
Ferromagnetic layer thickness dependence of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and spin-orbit torques in Pt\Co\AlO x
We report the thickness dependence of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) and spin-orbit torques (SOTs) in Pt\Co(t)\AlOx, studied by current-induced domain wall (DW) motion and second-harmonic experiments. From the DW motion study, a monotonous decay of the effective DMI strength with increasing Co thickness is observed, in agreement with a DMI originating from the Pt\Co interface. The study of the ferromagnetic layer thickness dependence of spin-orbit torques reveals a more complex behavior. The observed thickness dependence suggests the spin-Hall effect in Pt as the main origin of the SOTs, with the measured SOT-fields amplitudes resulting from the interplay between the varying th…
Spin orbit torque switching in Ta/CoFeB/MgO without longitudinal fields
Intense investigations are carried out on novel magnetic materials systems with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), where new spin-orbit effects occur due to structural inversion asymmetry (SIA). So called spin-orbit torques (SOTs), have been observed for the first time in PMA nano-structures with SIA, when an electric current is injected [1-3], leading to ultra-efficient current-induced domain wall motion and current-induced magnetization switching [2,3].
Evidence for phonon skew scattering in the spin Hall effect of platinum
We measure and analyze the effective spin Hall angle of platinum in the low-residual resistivity regime by second-harmonic measurements of the spin-orbit torques for a multilayer of $\mathrm{Pt}|\mathrm{Co}|{\mathrm{AlO}}_{x}$. An angular-dependent study of the torques allows us to extract the effective spin Hall angle responsible for the damping-like torque in the system. We observe a strikingly nonmonotonic and reproducible temperature dependence of the torques. This behavior is compatible with recent theoretical predictions which include both intrinsic and extrinsic (impurities and phonons) contributions to the spin Hall effect at finite temperatures.
Modification of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya-Interaction-Stabilized Domain Wall Chirality by Driving Currents
We measure and analyze the chirality of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya-interaction (DMI) stabilized spin textures in multilayers of $\mathrm{Ta}|{\mathrm{Co}}_{20}{\mathrm{F}}_{60}{\mathrm{B}}_{20}|\mathrm{MgO}$. The effective DMI is measured experimentally using domain wall motion measurements, both in the presence (using spin-orbit torques) and absence of driving currents (using magnetic fields). We observe that the current-induced domain wall motion yields a change in effective DMI magnitude and opposite domain wall chirality when compared to field-induced domain wall motion (without current). We explore this effect, which we refer to as current-induced DMI, by providing possible explanations for…
Origin of the spin Seebeck effect in compensated ferrimagnets
Magnons are the elementary excitations of a magnetically ordered system. In ferromagnets, only a single band of low-energy magnons needs to be considered, but in ferrimagnets the situation is more complex owing to different magnetic sublattices involved. In this case, low lying optical modes exist that can affect the dynamical response. Here we show that the spin Seebeck effect (SSE) is sensitive to the complexities of the magnon spectrum. The SSE is caused by thermally excited spin dynamics that are converted to a voltage by the inverse spin Hall effect at the interface to a heavy metal contact. By investigating the temperature dependence of the SSE in the ferrimagnet gadolinium iron garne…
Role of phonon skew scattering in the spin Hall effect of platinum
We measure and analyze the effective spin Hall angle of platinum in the low residual resistivity regime by second harmonic measurements of the spin-orbit torques for a multilayer of Pt/Co/AlO$_x$. An angular dependent study of the torques allows us to extract the effective spin Hall angle responsible for the damping-like torque in the system. We observe a strikingly non-monotonic and reproducible temperature dependence of the torques. This behavior is compatible with recent theoretical predictions which include both intrinsic and extrinsic (impurities and phonons) contributions to the spin Hall effect at finite temperature.
Effective field analysis using the full angular spin-orbit torque magnetometry dependence
Spin-orbit torques promise ultra-efficient magnetization switching used for advanced devices based on emergent quasi-particles such as domain walls and skyrmions. Recently, the spin structure dynamics, materials and systems with tailored spin-orbit torques are being developed. A method, which allows one to detect the acting torques in a given system as a function of the magnetization direction is the torque-magnetometry method based on a higher harmonics analysis of the anomalous Hall-effect. Here we show that the effective fields acting on magnetic domain walls that govern the efficiency of their dynamics require a sophisticated analysis taking into account the full angular dependence of t…
Study of energetics of 360{\deg} domain walls through annihilation
The Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) causes domain walls in perpendicular magnetized systems to adopt a homochiral configuration by winding in the same direction for both Up-Down and Down-Up walls. The topology of these domain walls is then distinct from the uniformly magnetized state. When two domain walls approach each other and are in close proximity they form winding pairs, stabilized by a dipolar repulsion. This can result in the formation of 360 {\deg} stable domain walls, whose stability is directly related to the magnitude of the additional dipolar interaction resulting from the spin structure governed by the DMI. Application of an external magnetic field can overcome the dip…
Spin-orbit torque-driven magnetization switching and thermal effects studied in Ta\CoFeB\MgO nanowires
We demonstrate magnetization switching in out-of-plane magnetized Ta\CoFeB\MgO nanowires by current pulse injection along the nanowires, both with and without a constant and uniform magnetic field collinear to the current direction. We deduce that an effective torque arising from spin-orbit effects in the multilayer drives the switching mechanism. While the generation of a component of the magnetization along the current direction is crucial for the switching to occur, we observe that even without a longitudinal field thermally generated magnetization fluctuations can lead to switching. Analysis using a generalized N\'eel-Brown model enables key parameters of the thermally induced spin-orbi…
Dynamics and inertia of skyrmionic spin structures
Understanding the motion of magnetic skyrmions is essential if they are to be used as information carriers in devices. It is now shown that topological confinement endows the skyrmions with an unexpectedly large mass, which plays a key role in their dynamics.
Synchronous precessional motion of multiple domain in a ferromagnetic nanowire by perpendicular field pulses
Magnetic storage and logic devices based on magnetic domain wall motion rely on the precise and synchronous displacement of multiple domain walls. The conventional approach using magnetic fields does not allow for the synchronous motion of multiple domains. As an alternative method, synchronous current-induced domain wall motion was studied, but the required high-current densities prevent widespread use in devices. Here we demonstrate a radically different approach: we use out-of-plane magnetic field pulses to move in-plane domains, thus combining field-induced magnetization dynamics with the ability to move neighbouring domain walls in the same direction. Micromagnetic simulations suggest …
Dynamics and topological mass of skyrmionic spin structures (presentation video)
Skyrmions are topologically protected particle-like configurations, with a topological complexity described by their Skyrmion number. In magnetic systems, they have been numerically predicted to exhibit rich dynamics, such as the gyrotropic and breathing modes, dominated by their topology. Recent experimental advances brought their static manipulation well under control. However, their dynamical behaviour is largely unexplored experimentally. In this work, we provide with the first direct observation of eigenmode skyrmion dynamics. In particular, we present dynamical imaging data with high temporal and spatial resolution to demonstrate the GHz gyrotropic mode of a single skyrmion bubble, as…
Role of B diffusion in the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction inTa/Co20Fe60B20/MgOnanowires
We report on current-induced domain wall motion in $\mathrm{Ta}/\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{o}}_{20}\mathrm{F}{\mathrm{e}}_{60}{\mathrm{B}}_{20}/\mathrm{MgO}$ nanowires. Domain walls are observed to move against the electron flow when no magnetic field is applied, while a field along the nanowires strongly affects the domain wall motion velocity. A symmetric effect is observed for up-down and down-up domain walls. This indicates the presence of right-handed domain walls, due to a Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) with a DMI coefficient $D=+0.06\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mJ}/{\mathrm{m}}^{2}$. The positive DMI coefficient is interpreted to be a consequence of B diffusion into the Ta bu…