Abstract
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 thickness and the transverse spin diffusion length in the Co layer.
Highlights
An efficient magnetization manipulation by spin-currents is a key requirement for the design of novel spintronic devices,[1,2] which promise to change the way digital information is processed and stored
A very efficient current-driven magnetization control has been obtained in multilayer systems with an ultra-thin ferromagnetic layer (FM) sandwiched between two different non-magnetic materials.[3,4,5,6,7]
These current-induced torques originate from spin-orbit effects (at least one of the two non-magnetic layers consists of an heavy metal (HM)), so that they are referred to as spin-orbit torques (SOTs).[8]
Summary
An efficient magnetization manipulation by spin-currents is a key requirement for the design of novel spintronic devices,[1,2] which promise to change the way digital information is processed and stored. The average DW velocity, DW , as a function of the current density, ja, is measured for the four different devices (the DW ja curves are reported in the supplementary material).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call