Anti-damping Torque Research Articles

Deterministic switching of perpendicular magnetization by out-of-plane anti-damping magnon torques.

Spin-wave excitations of magnetic moments (or magnons) can transport spin angular momentum in insulating magnetic materials. This property distinguishes magnonic devices from traditional electronics, where power consumption results from electrons' movement. Recently, magnon torques have been used to switch perpendicular magnetization in the presence of an external magnetic field. Here we present a material system composed of WTe2/antiferromagnetic insulator NiO/ferromagnet CoFeB heterostructures that allows magnetic field-free switching of the perpendicular magnetization. The magnon currents, with a spin polarization canting of -8.5° relative to the sample plane, traverse the 25-nm-thick polycrystalline NiO layer while preserving their original polarization direction, subsequently exerting an out-of-plane anti-damping magnon torque on the ferromagnetic layer. Using this mechanism, we achieve a 190-fold reduction in power consumption in PtTe2/WTe2/NiO/CoFeB heterostructures compared to Bi2Te3/NiO/CoFeB control samples, which only exhibit in-plane magnon torques. Our field-free demonstration contributes to the realization of all-electric, low-power, perpendicular magnetization switching devices.

Spin-Orbit Torque Vector Quantification in Nanoscale Magnetic Tunnel Junctions.

Spin-orbit torques (SOT) allow ultrafast, energy-efficient toggling of magnetization state by an in-plane charge current for applications such as magnetic random-access memory (SOT-MRAM). Tailoring the SOT vector comprising of antidamping (TAD) and fieldlike (TFL) torques could lead to faster, more reliable, and low-power SOT-MRAM. Here, we establish a method to quantify the longitudinal (TAD) and transverse (TFL) components of the SOT vector and its efficiency χAD and χFL, respectively, in nanoscale three-terminal SOT magnetic tunnel junctions (SOT-MTJ). Modulation of nucleation or switching field (BSF) for magnetization reversal by SOT effective fields (BSOT) leads to the modification of SOT-MTJ hysteresis loop behavior from which χAD and χFL are quantified. Surprisingly, in nanoscale W/CoFeB SOT-MTJ, we find χFL to be (i) twice as large as χAD and (ii) 6 times as large as χFL in micrometer-sized W/CoFeB Hall-bar devices. Our quantification is supported by micromagnetic and macrospin simulations which reproduce experimental SOT-MTJ Stoner-Wohlfarth astroid behavior only for χFL > χAD. Additionally, from the threshold current for current-induced magnetization switching with a transverse magnetic field, we show that in SOT-MTJ, TFL plays a more prominent role in magnetization dynamics than TAD. Due to SOT-MRAM geometry and nanodimensionality, the potential role of nonlocal spin Hall spin current accumulated adjacent to the SOT-MTJ in the mediation of TFL and χFL amplification merits to be explored.

Field-free deterministic switching of all-van der Waals spin-orbit torque system above room temperature.

Two-dimensional van der Waals (vdW) magnetic materials hold promise for the development of high-density, energy-efficient spintronic devices for memory and computation. Recent breakthroughs in material discoveries and spin-orbit torque control of vdW ferromagnets have opened a path for integration of vdW magnets in commercial spintronic devices. However, a solution for field-free electric control of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) vdW magnets at room temperatures, essential for building compact and thermally stable spintronic devices, is still missing. Here, we report a solution for the field-free, deterministic, and nonvolatile switching of a PMA vdW ferromagnet, Fe3GaTe2, above room temperature (up to 320 K). We use the unconventional out-of-plane anti-damping torque from an adjacent WTe2 layer to enable such switching with a low current density of 2.23 × 106 A cm-2. This study exemplifies the efficacy of low-symmetry vdW materials for spin-orbit torque control of vdW ferromagnets and provides an all-vdW solution for the next generation of scalable and energy-efficient spintronic devices.

Field-free spin–orbit torque-induced switching of perpendicular magnetization at room temperature in WTe2/ferromagnet heterostructures

Spin–orbit torque provides an efficient way to achieve switching of perpendicular magnetization, which is essential for designing energy-efficient spintronic devices. An in-plane antidamping torque combined with an out-of-plane antidamping torque can often deterministically switch perpendicular magnetization without an external magnetic field. Encouragingly, field-free perpendicular magnetization switching of a two-dimensional (2D) material WTe2/ferromagnet bilayer has been reported recently, but the working temperature (< 200 K) is quite below room temperature. Here, we demonstrate field-free perpendicular magnetization switching in the Pt/Co/Pt/WTe2 multilayer films at room temperature, which is mainly attributed to the out-of-plane antidamping torque originating from the WTe2 layer. In addition, current-induced perpendicular magnetization switching at zero magnetic field is also accomplished in the [Co/Pt]2/WTe2 multilayer film with a very large perpendicular magnetic anisotropic field (∼13 600 Oe), which is very useful for practical applications. This work offers a potential way to develop spintronic devices based on 2D materials at room temperature.

3T2M canted-type x SOT-MRAM: Field-free, high-energy-efficiency, and high-read-margin memory toward cache applications

We propose a novel cell structure of spin-orbit torque (SOT) magnetic random-access memory (MRAM), which consists of three transistors and two canted-type x SOT magnetic tunnel junctions (3T2M) with opposite canting angle (+ φ /- φ ) on a shared heavy-metal, enabling a self-referencing scheme. Owing to the canting-angle-dependent switching polarity, the 3T2M unit keeps switching to complementary states without any complex structure, corroborating an excellent application potential for practical CMOS integration. Moreover, upon tailoring the canting angle and the ratio of field-like over anti-damping torque in the free layer, the developed architecture demonstrates efficient and reliable field-free magnetization switching with a significantly improved read sensing margin (230 mV and 160 mV for reading “1” and “0”) and outstanding thermal stability (Δ∼70). The 3T2M cell exhibits 0.25 ns ultra-fast write speed, a 6× reduced write energy of 35.41 fJ, and 23.65 fJ for “1” and “0” than the state-of-the-art.

Efficient perpendicular magnetization switching by a magnetic spin Hall effect in a noncollinear antiferromagnet

Current induced spin-orbit torques driven by the conventional spin Hall effect are widely used to manipulate the magnetization. This approach, however, is nondeterministic and inefficient for the switching of magnets with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy that are demanded by the high-density magnetic storage and memory devices. Here, we demonstrate that this limitation can be overcome by exploiting a magnetic spin Hall effect in noncollinear antiferromagnets, such as Mn3Sn. The magnetic group symmetry of Mn3Sn allows generation of the out-of-plane spin current carrying spin polarization collinear to its direction induced by an in-plane charge current. This spin current drives an out-of-plane anti-damping torque providing the deterministic switching of the perpendicular magnetization of an adjacent Ni/Co multilayer. Due to being odd with respect to time reversal symmetry, the observed magnetic spin Hall effect and the resulting spin-orbit torque can be reversed with reversal of the antiferromagnetic order. Contrary to the conventional spin-orbit torque devices, the demonstrated magnetization switching does not need an external magnetic field and requires much lower current density which is useful for low-power spintronics.

Giant anomalous charge-spin conversion at Co/Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–Pb0.7Ti0.3O3 interfaces

An efficient out-of-plane anti-damping spin–orbit torque (SOT) is in great demand for high-density spintronic devices with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Despite its importance, direct realization of such SOT in a single magnetic layer is scarce and has remained challenging. Here, we present experimental evidence uncovering unconventional out-of-plane anti-damping torques in the Co film deposited on the ferroelectric Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–Pb0.7Ti0.3O3 (PMN–PT) substrate. We show via spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance that both Rashba- and unconventional-type SOT give rise to a high-efficient charge-to-spin conversion. The strong magnetoelectric effect at the Co/PMN-PT interface allows further directly electric-field control of the conversion.

Nonlinear antidamping spin-orbit torque originating from intraband transport on the warped surface of a topological insulator

Motivated by recent experiments observing a large antidamping spin-orbit torque (SOT) on the surface of a three-dimensional topological insulator, we investigate the origin of the current-induced SOT beyond linear-response theory. We find that a strong antidamping SOT arises from intraband transitions in non-linear response, and does not require interband transitions as is the case in linear transport mechanisms. The joint effect of warping and an in-plane magnetization generates a non-linear antidamping SOT which can exceed the intrinsic one by several orders of magnitude, depending on warping parameter and the position of Fermi energy, and exhibits a complex dependence on the azimuthal angle of the magnetization. This nonlinear SOT provides an alternative explanation of the observed giant SOT in recent experiments.

Effects of Interfacial Oxidization on Magnetic Damping and Spin-Orbit Torques.

We investigate the effects of interfacial oxidation on the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, magnetic damping, and spin-orbit torques in heavy-metal (Pt)/ferromagnet (Co or NiFe)/capping (MgO/Ta, HfOx, or TaN) structures. At room temperature, the capping materials influence the effective surface magnetic anisotropy energy density, which is associated with the formation of interfacial magnetic oxides. The magnetic damping parameter of Co is considerably influenced by the capping material (especially MgO) while that of NiFe is not. This is possibly due to extra magnetic damping via spin-pumping process across the Co/CoO interface and incoherent magnon generation (spin fluctuation) developed in the antiferromagnetic CoO. It is also observed that both antidamping and field-like spin-orbit torque efficiencies vary with the capping material in the thickness ranges we examined. Our results reveal the crucial role of interfacial oxides on the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, magnetic damping, and spin-orbit torques.

Skew-scattering-induced giant antidamping spin-orbit torques: Collinear and out-of-plane Edelstein effects at two-dimensional material/ferromagnet interfaces

Heavy metal/ferromagnet interfaces feature emergent spin-orbit effects absent in the bulk materials. Because of their inherent strong coupling between spin, charge, and orbital degrees of freedom, such systems provide a platform for technologically sought-after spin-orbit torques (SOTs). However, the microscopic origin of purely interfacial antidamping SOT, especially in the ultimate atomically thin limit, has proven elusive. Here, using two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals materials as a test bed for interfacial phenomena, we address this problem by means of a microscopic framework accounting for band structure effects and impurity scattering on equal footing and nonperturbatively. A number of unconventional and measurable effects are predicted, the most remarkable of which is a giant enhancement of antidamping SOT in the dilute disorder limit induced by a robust skew scattering mechanism, which is operative in realistic interfaces and does not require magnetic impurities. The newly unveiled skew scattering mechanism activates rich semiclassical spin-charge conversion effects that have gone unnoticed in the literature, including a collinear Edelstein effect with nonequilibrium spin polarization aligned with the direction of the applied current.Received 14 May 2020Revised 19 August 2020Accepted 25 November 2020DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.2.043401Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasMagnetismMagnetoelectric effectRashba couplingSpin torqueSpin-orbit couplingSpintronicsPhysical Systems2-dimensional systemsBilayer filmsGrapheneTransition metal dichalcogenidesTechniquesBoltzmann theoryDiagrammatic methodsGreen's function methodsCondensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Current-induced torques in black phosphorus/permalloy bilayers due to crystal symmetry

Current-induced spin-torques in two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures have attracted extensive attention due to their importance in understanding the underlying fundamental physics and developing low-power dissipation nanoelectronics. Here, the Permalloy/black phosphorus (BP) bilayer devices are fabricated, and spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance (ST-FMR) measurements are utilized to investigate the spin-torque effect in the heterostructure. An obvious out-of-plane antidamping torque is observed, which could be associated with the broken mirror symmetry of BP. These results show the possibility of manipulating magnetization by semiconductor field-effect devices based on 2D materials and provide a clear avenue for engineering spintronic devices based on 2D materials.

Current-Induced In-Plane Magnetization Switching in a Biaxial Ferrimagnetic Insulator

Ferrimagnetic insulators (FiMI) have been intensively used in microwave and magneto-optical devices as well as spin caloritronics, where their magnetization direction plays a fundamental role on the device performance. The magnetization is generally switched by applying external magnetic fields. Here we investigate current-induced spin-orbit-torque switching of the magnetization in ${\mathrm{Y}}_{3}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{5}{\mathrm{O}}_{12}$ ($\mathrm{YIG}$)/$\mathrm{Pt}$ bilayers with in-plane magnetic anisotropy, where the switching is detected by spin Hall magnetoresistance. Reversible switching is found at room temperature for a threshold current density of ${10}^{7}\phantom{\rule{0.1em}{0ex}}\mathrm{A}\phantom{\rule{0.1em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$. The $\mathrm{YIG}$ sublattices with antiparallel and unequal magnetic moments are aligned parallel or antiparallel to the direction of current pulses, which is consistent to the N\'eel-order switching in an antiferromagnetic system. It is proposed that such a switching behavior may be triggered by the antidamping torque acting on the two antiparallel sublattices of FiMI. Our finding not only broadens the magnetization switching by electrical means and promotes the understanding of magnetization switching, but also paves the way for all-electrically modulated microwave devices and spin caloritronics with low power consumption.

Nonlinear spin torque, pumping, and cooling in superconductor/ferromagnet systems

We study the effects of the coupling between magnetization dynamics and the electronic degrees of freedom in a heterostructure of a metallic nanomagnet with dynamic magnetization coupled with a superconductor containing a steady spin-splitting field. We predict how this system exhibits a non-linear spin torque, which can be driven either with a temperature difference or a voltage across the interface. We generalize this notion to arbitrary magnetization precession by deriving a Keldysh action for the interface, describing the coupled charge, heat and spin transport in the presence of a precessing magnetization. We characterize the effect of superconductivity on the precession damping and the anti-damping torques. We also predict the full non-linear characteristic of the Onsager counterparts of the torque, showing up via pumped charge and heat currents. For the latter, we predict a spin-pumping cooling effect, where the magnetization dynamics can cool either the nanomagnet or the superconductor.

Nonlinear Anomalous Hall Effect for Néel Vector Detection.

Antiferromagnetic (AFM) spintronics exploits the Néel vector as a state variable for novel spintronic devices. Recent studies have shown that the fieldlike and antidamping spin-orbit torques (SOTs) can be used to switch the Néel vector in antiferromagnets with proper symmetries. However, the precise detection of the Néel vector remains a challenging problem. In this Letter, we predict that the nonlinear anomalous Hall effect (AHE) can be used to detect the Néel vector in most compensated antiferromagnets supporting the antidamping SOT. We show that the magnetic crystal group symmetry of these antiferromagnets combined with spin-orbit coupling produce a sizable Berry curvature dipole and hence the nonlinear AHE. As a specific example, we consider the half-Heusler alloy CuMnSb, in which the Néel vector can be switched by the antidamping SOT. Based on density-functional theory calculations, we show that the nonlinear AHE in CuMnSb results in a measurable Hall voltage under conventional experimental conditions. The strong dependence of the Berry curvature dipole on the Néel vector orientation provides a new detection scheme of the Néel vector based on the nonlinear AHE. Our predictions enrich the material platform for studying nontrivial phenomena associated with the Berry curvature and broaden the range of materials useful for AFM spintronics.

Energy‐Efficient Ultrafast SOT‐MRAMs Based on Low‐Resistivity Spin Hall Metal Au0.25Pt0.75

AbstractMany key electronic technologies (e.g., large‐scale computing, machine learning, and superconducting electronics) require new memories that are at the same time fast, reliable, energy‐efficient, and of low‐impedance, which has remained a challenge. Nonvolatile magnetoresistive random access memories (MRAMs) driven by spin–orbit torques (SOTs) have promise to be faster and more energy‐efficient than conventional semiconductor and spin‐transfer‐torque magnetic memories. It is reported that the spin Hall effect of low‐resistivity Au0.25Pt0.75 thin films enables ultrafast antidamping‐torque switching of SOT‐MRAM devices for current pulse widths as short as 200 ps. If combined with industrial‐quality lithography and already‐demonstrated interfacial engineering, an optimized MRAM cell based on Au0.25Pt0.75 can have energy‐efficient, ultrafast, and reliable switching, for example, a write energy of <1 fJ (<50 fJ) for write error rate of 50% (<10−5) for 1 ns pulses. The antidamping torque switching of the Au0.25Pt0.75 devices is ten times faster than expected from a rigid macrospin model, most likely because of the fast micromagnetics due to the enhanced nonuniformity within the free layer. The feasibility of Au0.25Pt0.75‐based SOT‐MRAMs as a candidate for ultrafast, reliable, energy‐efficient, low‐impedance, and unlimited‐endurance memory is demonstrated.

Spin-orbit torques in a Rashba honeycomb antiferromagnet

Recent experiments on switching antiferromagnetic domains by electric current pulses have attracted a lot of attention to spin-orbit torques in antiferromagnets. In this work, we employ the tight-binding model solver, kwant, to compute spin-orbit torques in a two-dimensional antiferromagnet on a honeycomb lattice with strong spin-orbit interaction of Rashba type. Our model combines spin-orbit interaction, local s-d-like exchange, and scattering of conduction electrons on on-site disorder potential to provide a microscopic mechanism for angular momentum relaxation. We consider two versions of the model: one with preserved and one with broken sublattice symmetry. A non-equilibrium staggered polarization, that is responsible for the so-called Neel spin-orbit torque, is shown to vanish identically in the symmetric model but may become finite if sublattice symmetry is broken. Similarly, anti-damping spin-orbit torques vanish in the symmetric model but become finite and anisotropic in a model with broken sublattice symmetry. As expected, anti-damping torques also reveal a sizable dependence on impurity concentration. Our numerical analysis also confirms symmetry classification of spin-orbit torques and strong torque anisotropy due to in-plane confinement of electron momenta.

Layer-dependent spin-orbit torques generated by the centrosymmetric transition metal dichalcogenide β−MoTe2

Single-crystal materials with sufficiently low crystal symmetry and strong spin-orbit interactions can be used to generate novel forms of spin-orbit torques on adjacent ferromagnets, such as the out-of-plane antidamping torque previously observed in WTe$_2$/ferromagnet heterostructures. Here, we present measurements of spin-orbit torques produced by the low-symmetry material $\beta$-MoTe$_2$, which unlike WTe$_2$ retains bulk inversion symmetry. We measure spin-orbit torques on $\beta$-MoTe$_2$/Permalloy heterostructures using spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance as a function of crystallographic alignment and MoTe$_2$ thickness down to the monolayer limit. We observe an out-of-plane antidamping torque with a spin torque conductivity as strong as 1/3 of that of WTe$_2$, demonstrating that the breaking of bulk inversion symmetry in the spin-generation material is not a necessary requirement for producing an out-of-plane antidamping torque. We also measure an unexpected dependence on the thickness of the $\beta$-MoTe$_2$ -- the out-of-plane antidamping torque is present in MoTe$_2$/Permalloy heterostructures when the $\beta$-MoTe$_2$ is a monolayer or trilayer thick, but goes to zero for devices with bilayer $\beta$-MoTe$_2$.

Giant nonlinear damping in nanoscale ferromagnets.

Magnetic damping is a key metric for emerging technologies based on magnetic nanoparticles, such as spin torque memory and high-resolution biomagnetic imaging. Despite its importance, understanding of magnetic dissipation in nanoscale ferromagnets remains elusive, and the damping is often treated as a phenomenological constant. Here, we report the discovery of a giant frequency-dependent nonlinear damping that strongly alters the response of a nanoscale ferromagnet to spin torque and microwave magnetic field. This damping mechanism originates from three-magnon scattering that is strongly enhanced by geometric confinement of magnons in the nanomagnet. We show that the giant nonlinear damping can invert the effect of spin torque on a nanomagnet, leading to an unexpected current-induced enhancement of damping by an antidamping torque. Our work advances the understanding of magnetic dynamics in nanoscale ferromagnets and spin torque devices.

Spin-orbit torques from intrinsic spin-orbit couplings in a periodically buckled honeycomb lattice

In this paper, we study the spin-orbit torques (SOTs) originated from the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) of intrinsic type in a periodically buckled honeycomb nanoribbon such as silicene. Using the Green function formalism with density matrix expressions, we analyze the SOT contributions from the Fermi-level and -sea electrons. We find that the intrinsic-SOC-induced inverse spin galvanic effect generates spin accumulations perpendicular to the honeycomb plane. The anti-damping torque results purely from the Fermi-level contribution, while the field-like torque from both the Fermi-level and -sea contributions. At zero bias voltage, the SOT is symmetric with respect to the Fermi energy (i.e., an even function of the Fermi energy), whereas the presence of bias further introduces the anti-symmetric torque components. When the ferromagnet magnetization lies in the honeycomb plane, all Fermi-sea contributions disappear. The maximum SOT among different Fermi energies is also inspected. For large enough in-plane magnetization compared to the staggered potential, the field-like torque has a maximum at zero Fermi energy. When the magnetization is smaller than some value characterized by the intrinsic SOC, the maximum of the anti-damping torque occurs at the cross point of the two Dirac linear bands in the leads. More importantly, we find that the anti-damping torques responsible for magnetic switching as well as the torkance require staggered potential from an applied out-of-plane electric field, i.e., lattice buckling is essential to the switching. When the electric field is reversed, the anti-damping torque and the torkance are also reversed. Accordingly, full electric control of the SOTs can be realized in this buckled system.

Spin-Transfer Torques in One-Dimensional Magnetic Tunneling Junctions of Lateral Structures

Recent study in [C. C. Lin, Y. F. Gao, A. V. Penumatcha, V. Q. Diep, J. Appenzeller and Z. H. Chen, Acs Nano 8, 3807 (2014)], showed that the spin-transfer torque (STT) is enhanced by the asymmetry in a graphene lateral spin-valve structure. This lateral structure or geometry can be modeled by a four-terminal magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) as opposite to the conventional two-terminal MTJ. In this paper, using the nonequilibrium Green’s function formalism (NEGF), we compare the anti-damping components of the STT in a similar nonconventional lateral one-dimensional MTJ with that in the conventional MTJ. We find that the lateral geometry renders enhanced anti-damping torques compared with the conventional one, provided that the barrier energy, the scattering length and the magnetization angle are in a certain parameter region. We also identify this parameter region in the presence of dephasing. The enhancement of the anti-damping torques declines when the scattering region is longer. For the four-terminal MTJ of larger scattering length, the dephasing can expedite the anti-damping torque.