Interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy at cobalt/diamond interfaces

Abstract

The interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) plays a key role in the formation of exotic chiral magnetic textures. Here, the interfacial DMI and magnetic anisotropy of Co(0001)/diamond(111) interfaces are investigated by first-principles calculations. The significant DMI with clockwise chirality can be generated at Co/diamond interface. The DMI strength of Co film decreases on boron doped diamond (B-Dia), while DMI chirality turns into anticlockwise on nitrogen doped diamond (N-Dia). Large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) appears at both Co/Dia and Co/B-Dia interfaces, which is weakended at the Co/N-Dia interface. The DMI can be ascribed to the occupied (dz2, dxz) orbitals of interfacial Co atomic layers, while magnetic anisotropy energy is determined by (dx2-y2, dxy) and (dz2, dyz) orbitals. These results provide a promising route to tailor the interfacial DMI and PMA of ferromagnetic films and hence to modulated topological magnetic textures.