Kyeong-Dong Lee

Large spin Hall magnetoresistance and its correlation to the spin-orbit torque in W/CoFeB/MgO structures

The phenomena based on spin-orbit interaction in heavy metal/ferromagnet/oxide structures have been investigated extensively due to their applicability to the manipulation of the magnetization direction via the in-plane current. This implies the existence of an inverse effect, in which the conductivity in such structures should depend on the magnetization orientation. In this work, we report a systematic study of the magnetoresistance (MR) of W/CoFeB/MgO structures and its correlation with the current-induced torque to the magnetization. We observe that the MR is independent of the angle between the magnetization and current direction but is determined by the relative magnetization orientation with respect to the spin direction accumulated by the spin Hall effect, for which the symmetry is identical to that of so-called the spin Hall magnetoresistance. The MR of ~1% in W/CoFeB/MgO samples is considerably larger than those in other structures of Ta/CoFeB/MgO or Pt/Co/AlOx, which indicates a larger spin Hall angle of W. Moreover, the similar W thickness dependence of the MR and the current-induced magnetization switching efficiency demonstrates that MR in a non-magnet/ferromagnet structure can be utilized to understand other closely correlated spin-orbit coupling effects such as the inverse spin Hall effect or the spin-orbit spin transfer torques.

Relationship between Gilbert damping and magneto-crystalline anisotropy in a Ti-buffered Co/Ni multilayer system

The relationship between Gilbert damping and magneto-crystalline anisotropy is studied here using an all-optical method in a perpendicular Co/Ni multilayer system by varying the Ti-buffer thickness. As the Ti-buffer thickness increases, the magneto-crystalline anisotropy is enhanced. The time-resolved Kerr signal of each sample is well described by its own intrinsic Gilbert damping constant in a wide range of the external magnetic field. Interestingly, we find that Gilbert damping constants increase linearly from 0.021 to 0.036 when the magneto-crystalline anisotropy of the samples varies from 2.4 to 3.4 Merg/cm3. Such a linear relationship implies that the spin-orbit interaction is the main source of the damping process through spin-lattice relaxation in our system.

Ultrafast magnetization relaxation of L10-ordered Fe50Pt50 alloy thin film

We have investigated the ultrafast magnetization dynamics of L10-ordered Fe50Pt50 thin film by means of a time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect measurement. We have found a high Gilbert damping value of α∼0.26, together with a very high precession frequency of f∼85 GHz and the shortest relaxation characteristic time of τ∼6.5 ps ever reported. We believe that L10-ordered FePt film with the unique property of a very high precession frequency and the shortest relaxation time will be very useful for the realization of picosecond spin switching.

Interfacial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in CoFeB/MgO structure with various underlayers

Interfacial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in CoFeB/MgO structures was investigated and found to be critically relied on underlayer material and annealing temperature. With Ta or Hf underlayer, clear PMA is observed in as-deposited samples while no PMA was shown in those with Pt or Pd. This may be attributed to smaller saturation magnetization of the films with Ta or Hf underlayer, which makes the PMA of CoFeB/MgO interface dominates over demagnetization field. On the contrary, samples with Pt or Pd demonstrate PMA only after annealing, which might be due to the CoPt (or CoPd) alloy formation that enhances PMA.

Thermoelectric Signal Enhancement by Reconciling the Spin Seebeck and Anomalous Nernst Effects in Ferromagnet/Non-magnet Multilayers

The utilization of ferromagnetic (FM) materials in thermoelectric devices allows one to have a simpler structure and/or independent control of electric and thermal conductivities, which may further remove obstacles for this technology to be realized. The thermoelectricity in FM/non-magnet (NM) heterostructures using an optical heating source is studied as a function of NM materials and a number of multilayers. It is observed that the overall thermoelectric signal in those structures which is contributed by spin Seebeck effect and anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) is enhanced by a proper selection of NM materials with a spin Hall angle that matches to the sign of the ANE. Moreover, by an increase of the number of multilayer, the thermoelectric voltage is enlarged further and the device resistance is reduced, simultaneously. The experimental observation of the improvement of thermoelectric properties may pave the way for the realization of magnetic-(or spin-) based thermoelectric devices.

Ultrafast spin demagnetization by nonthermal electrons of TbFe alloy film

An ultrafast spin demagnetization process of an amorphous Tb35Fe65 alloy film has been investigated by means of an all-optical pump-probe technique. Interestingly, steplike demagnetization on a subpicosecond time scale is observed before a much slower change on a time scale of tens of picoseconds. The steplike demagnetization at the subpicosecond scale is explained by the extended three-temperature model considering the interaction between a nonthermal electron and a spin system. The characteristic of subpicosecond demagnetization of TbFe alloy film is expected to be very useful in the manipulation of the spin state in ultrafast regime.

Thermal spin injection and accumulation in CoFe/MgO/ n- type Ge contacts

Understanding the interplay between spin and heat is a fundamental and intriguing subject. Here we report thermal spin injection and accumulation in CoFe/MgO/n-type Ge contacts with an asymmetry of tunnel spin polarization. Using local heating of electrodes by laser beam or electrical current, the thermally-induced spin accumulation is observed for both polarities of the temperature gradient across the tunnel contact. We observe that the magnitude of thermally injected spin signal scales linearly with the power of local heating of electrodes, and its sign is reversed as we invert the temperature gradient. A large Hanle magnetothermopower (HMTP) of about 7.0% and the Seebeck spin tunneling coefficient of larger than 0.74 meV K−1 are obtained at room temperature.

Transition from the thermal activation process to the viscous process in magnetization reversal behavior of the Co/Pd multilayer

We have investigated the transition from thermal activation process to viscous process in magnetization reversal behavior of the Co/Pd multilayer from the determination of the wall-motion speed and the nucleation rate via time-resolved domain observation. Interestingly, we find that the field dependencies of two activation volumes in the thermal activation regime are different from each other, which reveals that the wall-motion and nucleation experience completely different interactions. We also find that the wall-mobility in the viscous regime is much smaller than a typical value for the sandwiched Co films, which implies that the Co/Pd interfaces substantially contribute to the dynamic dissipation.

Dissipative soliton dynamics in a discrete magnetic nano-dot chain

Soliton dynamics is studied in a discrete magnetic nano-dot chain by means of micromagnetic simulations together with an analytic model equation. A soliton under a dissipative system is driven by an applied field. The field-driven dissipative soliton enhances its mobility nonlinearly, as the characteristic frequency and the intrinsic Gilbert damping decrease. During the propagation, the soliton emits spin waves which act as an extrinsic damping channel. The characteristic frequency, the maximum velocity, and the localization length of the soliton are found to be proportional to the threshold field, the threshold velocity, and the initial mobility, respectively.

Gilbert damping and critical real-space trajectory of L10-ordered FePt films investigated by magnetic-field-induction and all-optical methods

The magnetization dynamics of perpendicularly magnetized FePt films is studied using both magnetic-field-induction and all-optical methods. A critically damped trajectory was observed in this system, where the precession ended within subnanoseconds after a single large oscillation. Using the Landau?Lifshitz?Gilbert (LLG) calculation with an experimental configuration, the effective anisotropy and damping constant were obtained. A damping constant of approximately 0.2 was determined after both a magnetic field and a laser pulse were used. The laser-induced real-space trajectory was well explained by the modified LLG calculation taking into account the demagnetization and time-dependent anisotropy.