Chaoliang Zhang

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.

A spin-orbit torque switching scheme with collinear magnetic easy axis and current configuration.

Spin-orbit torque, a torque brought about by in-plane current via the spin-orbit interactions in heavy-metal/ferromagnet nanostructures, provides a new pathway to switch the magnetization direction. Although there are many recent studies, they all build on one of two structures that have the easy axis of a nanomagnet lying orthogonal to the current, that is, along the z or y axes. Here, we present a new structure with the third geometry, that is, with the easy axis collinear with the current (along the x axis). We fabricate a three-terminal device with a Ta/CoFeB/MgO-based stack and demonstrate the switching operation driven by the spin-orbit torque due to Ta with a negative spin Hall angle. Comparisons with different geometries highlight the previously unknown mechanisms of spin-orbit torque switching. Our work offers a new avenue for exploring the physics of spin-orbit torque switching and its application to spintronics devices.

Spin-orbit torque induced magnetization switching in nano-scale Ta/CoFeB/MgO

We study the device size dependence of spin-orbit torque induced magnetization switching in a Ta/CoFeB/MgO structure with perpendicular easy axis. The miniaturization of the device from micrometer-sized wire to 80-nm dot results in the increase of the threshold current density Jth by one order, whereas Jth increases only slightly with further reducing the device size down to 30 nm. No significant increase in Jth is seen, as the current pulse width decreases from 100 ms down to 3 ns. We reveal that the switching in devices at reduced size is reasonably well explained by the macrospin model, in which the effects of both the Slonczewski-like torque and field-like torque are included.

Magnetization reversal induced by in-plane current in Ta/CoFeB/MgO structures with perpendicular magnetic easy axis

We investigate in-plane current-induced magnetization reversal under an in-plane magnetic field in Hall bar shaped devices composed of Ta/CoFeB/MgO structures with perpendicular magnetic easy axis. The observed relationship between the directions of current and magnetization switching and Ta thickness dependence of magnetization switching current are accordance with those for magnetization reversal by spin transfer torque originated from the spin Hall effect in the Ta layer.

Magnetotransport measurements of current induced effective fields in Ta/CoFeB/MgO

We evaluate current-induced effective magnetic fields in perpendicularly magnetized Ta/CoFeB/MgO structures from the external magnetic field angle dependence of the Hall resistance. We confirm the presence of two components of effective fields. The dependence of their magnitudes on Ta thickness implies that both components are related to the spin current in Ta layer generated by the spin Hall effect.

Critical role of W deposition condition on spin-orbit torque induced magnetization switching in nanoscale W/CoFeB/MgO

We study the spin-orbit torque induced magnetization switching in W/CoFeB/MgO heterostructures with W deposited under different sputtering conditions. We show that the crystal structure and resistivity of W depend on the employed sputtering conditions. Switching current of nanoscale devices is smaller while effective anisotropy field is larger for the devices with more resistive W channel deposited at lower sputtering power and higher Ar gas pressure. The effective spin Hall angle evaluated from the switching probability varies by a factor of 2–3 depending on the W resistivity controlled by the sputtering conditions.

A sub-ns three-terminal spin-orbit torque induced switching device

We show a three-terminal spintronics memory device, which can be reliably switched by 0.5-ns current pulses with small magnitude. A new device geometry is employed, where spin-orbit torque is used for the write operation. We also show that an improved structure realizes magnetic field-free switching and employing a material other than the standard Ta can lead to a reduction of the switching current by more than half.

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...

Proposal and demonstration of a new spin-orbit torque induced switching device

A new structure of spin-orbit torque switching device is proposed and demonstrated in this study. The structure is composed of a stack of Ta/CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB/Co/Ru/Co deposited by dc/rf magnetron sputtering, electron beam lithography, and Ar ion milling. The magnetic tunnel junction with in-plane easy axis in the proposed device makes it easy to obtain large tunnel magnetoresistance ratio and small offset fields acting on the ferromagnetic recording layer. The magnetization switching induced by spin current whose polarization is orthogonal to the easy axis under a static field along another orthogonal direction is favorable for ultrafast magnetization switching.