Spin-orbit torque-assisted switching in magnetic insulator thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

As an in-plane charge current flows in a heavy metal film with spin-orbit coupling, it produces a torque on and thereby switches the magnetization in a neighbouring ferromagnetic metal film. Such spin-orbit torque (SOT)-induced switching has been studied extensively in recent years and has shown hig...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Li P
Liu T
Chang H
Kalitsov A
Zhang W
Csaba György
Li W
Richardson D
DeMann A
Rimal G
Dey H
Jiang JS
Porod W
Field SB
Tang J
Marconi MC
Hoffmann A
Mryasov O
Wu M
Format: Article
Published: 2016
Series:NATURE COMMUNICATIONS 7
Subjects:
Biokémia és molekuláris biológia
Genetika és örökléstan
mtmt:3127671
Online Access:https://publikacio.ppke.hu/1823
Description
Summary:As an in-plane charge current flows in a heavy metal film with spin-orbit coupling, it produces a torque on and thereby switches the magnetization in a neighbouring ferromagnetic metal film. Such spin-orbit torque (SOT)-induced switching has been studied extensively in recent years and has shown higher efficiency than switching using conventional spin-transfer torque. Here we report the SOT-assisted switching in heavy metal/magnetic insulator systems. The experiments used a Pt/BaFe12O19 bilayer where the BaFe12O19 layer exhibits perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. As a charge current is passed through the Pt film, it produces a SOT that can control the up and down states of the remnant magnetization in the BaFe12O19 film when the film is magnetized by an in-plane magnetic field. It can reduce or increase the switching field of the BaFe12O19 film by as much as about 500 Oe when the film is switched with an out-of-plane field.
ISSN:2041-1723

Similar Items