Length scale of spin-orbit torques and efficient switching in magnetic insulators

ORAL

Abstract

Magnetic insulators (MIs) attract tremendous interest for spintronic applications due to low damping and absence of Ohmic loss. The efficient manipulation of magnetization in MIs via current-induced spin-orbit torques (SOTs) promises future development of low-power spintronics based on MIs. Here, we report a systematic study of MI layer thickness dependent SOTs and current-driven switching behaviors by using tungsten/thulium iron garnet (W/TmIG) bilayers. Our results reveal a characteristic increase of the damping SOT efficiency with the TmIG thickness, which is linked to the exchange coupling strength at the interface. The characteristic length of TmIG is around 8 nm, which is much larger than the case of around 1 nm in ferromagnetic metals. We then demonstrate the current-induced SOT switching in the W/TmIG bilayers with a TmIG thickness up to 15 nm, where the switching direction is opposite to that of Pt/TmIG. The switching current density is significantly lower than that of Pt/TmIG, which is attributed to a larger spin Hall angle and stronger thermal effect. Our results about length scale of SOTs and efficient switching in MIs shed light on the future development of low power MI-based spintronics.

*The work done at UCLA was supported by the DOE-EFRC-SHINES and SRC-FAME.

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Presenters

  • Qiming Shao

    • University of California, Los Angeles

Authors

  • Qiming Shao

    • University of California, Los Angeles

  • Chi Tang

    • University of California, Riverside
    • Univ of California - Riverside

  • Guoqiang Yu

    • University of California, Los Angeles
    • Univ of California - Los Angeles
    • Department of Electrical Engineering, UCLA
    • BeiHang University
    • Electrical Engineering, University of California Los Angeles

  • Peng Zhang

    • University of California, Los Angeles

  • Aryan Navabi

    • University of California, Los Angeles
    • Department of Electrical Engineering, Univ of California - Los Angeles

  • Cheng Zheng

    • University of California, Los Angeles

  • Pramey Upadhyaya

    • University of California, Los Angeles
    • Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue Univ

  • Hao Wu

    • Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Science

  • Yawen Liu

    • University of California, Riverside
    • Physics and Astronomy, University of Calirfornia, Riverside
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Univ. of California Riverside
    • Univ of California - Riverside

  • Xiufeng Han

    • Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Science

  • Yaroslav Tserkovnyak

    • University of California, Los Angeles
    • Physics, University of California Los Angeles
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Univ of California - Los Angeles
    • Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles
    • Univ of California - Los Angeles
    • Physics and Astronomy, Univ of California - Los Angeles
    • Physics and Astronomy, University of California Los Angeles
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles
    • Physics, Univ of California - Los Angeles
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Los Angeles

  • Jing Shi

    • University of California, Riverside
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Univ. of California Riverside
    • Physics, Univ of California - Riverside

  • Kang Wang

    • University of California, Los Angeles
    • Univ of California - Los Angeles
    • Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles
    • Department of Electrical Engineering, UCLA
    • University of California Los Angeles
    • UCLA
    • Department of Electrical Engineering, Univ of California - Los Angeles
    • Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles
    • Electrical Engineering, UCLA