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

Peng Li; Tao Liu; Houchen Chang; Alan Kalitsov; Wei Zhang; Gyorgy Csaba; Wei Li; Daniel Richardson; August DeMann; Gaurab Rimal; Himadri Dey; J. S. Jiang; Wolfgang Porod; Stuart B. Field; Jinke Tang; Mario C. Marconi; Axel Hoffmann; Oleg Mryasov; Mingzhong Wu

doi:10.1038/ncomms12688

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

Peng Li, Tao Liu, Houchen Chang, Alan Kalitsov, Wei Zhang, Gyorgy Csaba, Wei Li, Daniel Richardson, August DeMann, Gaurab Rimal, Himadri Dey, J. S. Jiang, Wolfgang Porod, Stuart B. Field, Jinke Tang, Mario C. Marconi, Axel Hoffmann, Oleg Mryasov, Mingzhong Wu

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

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.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	12688
Journal	Nature communications
Volume	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12688
State	Published - Sep 1 2016
Externally published	Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Chemistry(all)
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
Physics and Astronomy(all)

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10.1038/ncomms12688

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Li, P., Liu, T., Chang, H., Kalitsov, A., Zhang, W., Csaba, G., Li, W., Richardson, D., DeMann, A., Rimal, G., Dey, H., Jiang, J. S., Porod, W., Field, S. B., Tang, J., Marconi, M. C., Hoffmann, A., Mryasov, O., & Wu, M. (2016). Spin-orbit torque-assisted switching in magnetic insulator thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Nature communications, 7, [12688]. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12688

Li, P, Liu, T, Chang, H, Kalitsov, A, Zhang, W, Csaba, G, 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 2016, 'Spin-orbit torque-assisted switching in magnetic insulator thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy', Nature communications, vol. 7, 12688. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12688

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title = "Spin-orbit torque-assisted switching in magnetic insulator thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy",

abstract = "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.",

author = "Peng Li and Tao Liu and Houchen Chang and Alan Kalitsov and Wei Zhang and Gyorgy Csaba and Wei Li and Daniel Richardson and August DeMann and Gaurab Rimal and Himadri Dey and Jiang, {J. S.} and Wolfgang Porod and Field, {Stuart B.} and Jinke Tang and Marconi, {Mario C.} and Axel Hoffmann and Oleg Mryasov and Mingzhong Wu",

note = "Funding Information: In addition, it is also supported in part by the SHINES, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences under Award SC0012670, the U.S. National Science Foundation under Award ECCS-1231598, the U.S. Army Research Office under Award W911NF-14-1-0501 and the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering under Award SC0008482.",

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AU - Li, Peng

AU - Liu, Tao

AU - Chang, Houchen

AU - Kalitsov, Alan

AU - Zhang, Wei

AU - Csaba, Gyorgy

AU - Li, Wei

AU - Richardson, Daniel

AU - DeMann, August

AU - Rimal, Gaurab

AU - Dey, Himadri

AU - Jiang, J. S.

AU - Porod, Wolfgang

AU - Field, Stuart B.

AU - Tang, Jinke

AU - Marconi, Mario C.

AU - Hoffmann, Axel

AU - Mryasov, Oleg

AU - Wu, Mingzhong

N1 - Funding Information: In addition, it is also supported in part by the SHINES, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences under Award SC0012670, the U.S. National Science Foundation under Award ECCS-1231598, the U.S. Army Research Office under Award W911NF-14-1-0501 and the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering under Award SC0008482.

PY - 2016/9/1

Y1 - 2016/9/1

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

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

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