Bulk and interface spin-orbit torques in Pt/Co/MgO thin film structures

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Gabor, M. S., Belmeguenai, M., Miron, I. M.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Gabor, M. S.
Belmeguenai, M.
Miron, I. M.
author_facet Gabor, M. S.
Belmeguenai, M.
Miron, I. M.
contents We investigate the origin of spin-orbit torques (SOTs) in archetypical Pt/Co/MgO thin films structures by performing harmonic Hall measurements. The behaviour of the damping like (DL) effective field ($h_{DL}$) with varying the Pt layer thickness and the Co layer thickness indicates that bulk spin-Hall effect (SHE) in Pt is mainly responsible for DL-SOT. The insertion of a Pd ultrathin layer at the Pt/Co interface leads to a step decrease in $h_{DL}$, attributed to the modification of interfacial spin transparency. Further increase in Pd thickness led to a reduction of the interfacial spin-orbit coupling (iSOC) quantified by the decrease in the surface magnetic anisotropy. The consistent insensitivity of $h_{DL}$ to variations in iSOC at the bottom Pt/Co interface and oxidation at the top Co/MgO interface provides additional evidence for the bulk SHE origin of DL-SOT. The strong reduction in the field-like (FL) torque effective field ($h_{FL}$) with decreasing iSOC at the Pt/Co interface points to the interfacial nature of FL-SOT, either due to iSOC induced interfacial spin-currents or to the Rashba-Edelstein effect at the Pt/Co interface. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a FL-SOT develops at the top Co/MgO interface opposing the one generated at the bottom Pt/Co interface, whose strength increases with Co/MgO interfacial oxidation, and attributed to the Rashba-Edelstein effect.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2403_06627
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Bulk and interface spin-orbit torques in Pt/Co/MgO thin film structures
Gabor, M. S.
Belmeguenai, M.
Miron, I. M.
Materials Science
We investigate the origin of spin-orbit torques (SOTs) in archetypical Pt/Co/MgO thin films structures by performing harmonic Hall measurements. The behaviour of the damping like (DL) effective field ($h_{DL}$) with varying the Pt layer thickness and the Co layer thickness indicates that bulk spin-Hall effect (SHE) in Pt is mainly responsible for DL-SOT. The insertion of a Pd ultrathin layer at the Pt/Co interface leads to a step decrease in $h_{DL}$, attributed to the modification of interfacial spin transparency. Further increase in Pd thickness led to a reduction of the interfacial spin-orbit coupling (iSOC) quantified by the decrease in the surface magnetic anisotropy. The consistent insensitivity of $h_{DL}$ to variations in iSOC at the bottom Pt/Co interface and oxidation at the top Co/MgO interface provides additional evidence for the bulk SHE origin of DL-SOT. The strong reduction in the field-like (FL) torque effective field ($h_{FL}$) with decreasing iSOC at the Pt/Co interface points to the interfacial nature of FL-SOT, either due to iSOC induced interfacial spin-currents or to the Rashba-Edelstein effect at the Pt/Co interface. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a FL-SOT develops at the top Co/MgO interface opposing the one generated at the bottom Pt/Co interface, whose strength increases with Co/MgO interfacial oxidation, and attributed to the Rashba-Edelstein effect.
title Bulk and interface spin-orbit torques in Pt/Co/MgO thin film structures
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.06627