Aleksandr Kurenkov

Magnetization switching by spin-orbit torque in an antiferromagnet-ferromagnet bilayer system

Spin-orbit torque (SOT)-induced magnetization switching shows promise for realizing ultrafast and reliable spintronics devices. Bipolar switching of the perpendicular magnetization by the SOT is achieved under an in-plane magnetic field collinear with an applied current. Typical structures studied so far comprise a nonmagnet/ferromagnet (NM/FM) bilayer, where the spin Hall effect in the NM is responsible for the switching. Here we show that an antiferromagnet/ferromagnet (AFM/FM) bilayer system also exhibits a SOT large enough to switch the magnetization of the FM. In this material system, thanks to the exchange bias of the AFM, we observe the switching in the absence of an applied field by using an antiferromagnetic PtMn and ferromagnetic Co/Ni multilayer with a perpendicular easy axis. Furthermore, tailoring the stack achieves a memristor-like behaviour where a portion of the reversed magnetization can be controlled in an analogue manner. The AFM/FM system is thus a promising building block for SOT devices as well as providing an attractive pathway towards neuromorphic computing.

Device-size dependence of field-free spin-orbit torque induced magnetization switching in antiferromagnet/ferromagnet structures

We study spin-orbit torque induced magnetization switching in devices consisting of an antiferromagnetic PtMn and ferromagnetic Co/Ni multilayer with sizes ranging from 5 μm to 50 nm. As the size decreases, switching behavior changes from analogue-like to stepwise with several intermediate levels. The number of intermediate levels decreases with the decreasing size and finally evolves into a binary mode below a certain threshold. The results are found to be explained by a unique reversal process of this system, where ferromagnetic domains comprising a number of polycrystalline grains reverse individually and among the domains both out-of-plane and in-plane components of exchange bias vary.

Spin-orbit torques and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in PtMn/[Co/Ni] heterostructures

Antiferromagnet (AFM)/ferromagnet (FM) heterostructures with broken inversion symmetry are perceived to open new opportunities for nonvolatile spintronic devices. Previous studies of such systems have demonstrated an emergence of spin-orbit torques (SOTs) in the heterostructures which are strong enough to bring about magnetization reversal. The impact of broken inversion symmetry and spin-orbit coupling also leads to an emergence of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) which governs the magnetic configuration and magnetization reversal. In this work, we study the SOT-induced effective fields and DMI in a heterostructure with an antiferromagnetic PtMn layer and a ferromagnetic [Co/Ni] multilayer and compare the results with a reference Pt/[Co/Ni] system. Magnetotransport measurements reveal the same sign and similar magnitude of SOT-induced effective fields for the two systems while current-induced domain wall motion measurements under in-plane fields reveal the opposite sign and smaller magnitude o...

An artificial neural network with an analogue spin-orbit torque device

Since collective spin systems store digital information as their magnetization direction, development of nonvolatile memories for computers with the von Neumann architecture is one of the mainstream outlets of spintronics research pursued in the last several decades.

Three-terminal spintronics devices for integrated circuits

Spintronics-based integrated circuits open up a new pathway toward ultralow-power and high-performance computing systems. Three-terminal spintronics devices, which achieves fast and reliable operation due to a relaxed control of parameters, have attracted increasing attention. We here review our recent studies on spin-orbit torque induced magnetization switching, which can be applied to the write operation of the three-terminal devices. We demonstrate the switching in a new device geometry and in a new material system.