L. Vila

Spin-to-charge conversion using Rashba coupling at the interface between non-magnetic materials

The Rashba effect is an interaction between the spin and the momentum of electrons induced by the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in surface or interface states. Its potential for conversion between charge and spin currents has been theoretically predicted but never clearly demonstrated for surfaces or interfaces of metals. Here we present experiments evidencing a large spin-charge conversion by the Bi/Ag Rashba interface. We use spin pumping to inject a spin current from a NiFe layer into a Bi/Ag bilayer and we detect the resulting charge current. As the charge signal is much smaller (negligible) with only Bi (only Ag), the spin-to-charge conversion can be unambiguously ascribed to the Rashba coupling at the Bi/Ag interface. This result demonstrates that the Rashba effect at interfaces can be used for efficient charge-spin conversion in spintronics.

Spin Pumping and Inverse Spin Hall Effect in Platinum: The Essential Role of Spin-Memory Loss at Metallic Interfaces

Through combined ferromagnetic resonance, spin pumping, and inverse spin Hall effect experiments in Co|Pt bilayers and Co|Cu|Pt trilayers, we demonstrate consistent values of ℓsfPt=3.4±0.4u2009u2009nm and θSHEPt=0.056±0.010 for the respective spin diffusion length and spin Hall angle for Pt. Our data and model emphasize the partial depolarization of the spin current at each interface due to spin-memory loss. Our model reconciles the previously published spin Hall angle values and explains the different scaling lengths for the ferromagnetic damping and the spin Hall effect induced voltage.

Evolution of the spin Hall effect in Pt nanowires: size and temperature effects.

We have studied the evolution of the spin Hall effect (SHE) in the regime where the material size responsible for the spin accumulation is either smaller or larger than the spin diffusion length. Lateral spin valve structures with Pt insertions were successfully used to measure the spin absorption efficiency as well as the spin accumulation in Pt induced through the spin Hall effect. Under a constant applied current the results show a decrease of the spin accumulation signal is more pronounced as the Pt thickness exceeds the spin diffusion length. This implies that the spin accumulation originates from bulk scattering inside the Pt wire and the spin diffusion length limits the SHE. We have also analyzed the temperature variation of the spin Hall conductivity to identify the dominant scattering mechanism.

Highly efficient and tunable spin-to-charge conversion through Rashba coupling at oxide interfaces

The spin-orbit interaction couples the electrons motion to their spin. As a result, a charge current running through a material with strong spin-orbit coupling generates a transverse spin current (spin Hall effect, SHE) and vice versa (inverse spin Hall effect, ISHE). The emergence of SHE and ISHE as charge-to-spin interconversion mechanisms offers a variety of novel spintronic functionalities and devices, some of which do not require any ferromagnetic material. However, the interconversion efficiency of SHE and ISHE (spin Hall angle) is a bulk property that rarely exceeds ten percent, and does not take advantage of interfacial and low-dimensional effects otherwise ubiquitous in spintronic hetero- and mesostructures. Here, we make use of an interface-driven spin-orbit coupling mechanism-the Rashba effect-in the oxide two-dimensional electron system (2DES) LaAlO3/SrTiO3 to achieve spin-to-charge conversion with unprecedented efficiency. Through spin pumping, we inject a spin current from a NiFe film into the oxide 2DES and detect the resulting charge current, which can be strongly modulated by a gate voltage. We discuss the amplitude of the effect and its gate dependence on the basis of the electronic structure of thexa02DES and highlight the importance of a long scattering time to achieve efficient spin-to-charge interconversion.

Spin to Charge Conversion at Room Temperature by Spin Pumping into a New Type of Topological Insulator: α -Sn Films

We present results on spin to charge current conversion in experiments of resonant spin pumping into the Dirac cone with helical spin polarization of the elemental topological insulator (TI) α-Sn. By angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES), we first check that the Dirac cone (DC) at the α-Sn (0 0 1) surface subsists after covering Sn with Ag. Then we show that resonant spin pumping at room temperature from Fe through Ag into α-Sn layers induces a lateral charge current that can be ascribed to the inverse Edelstein effect by the DC states. Our observation of an inverse Edelstein effect length much longer than those generally found for Rashba interfaces demonstrates the potential of TIs for the conversion between spin and charge in spintronic devices. By comparing our results with data on the relaxation time of TI free surface states from time-resolved ARPES, we can anticipate the ultimate potential of the TI for spin to charge conversion and the conditions to reach it.1 Unité Mixte de Physique CNRS/Thales, 91767 Palaiseau, France 2 Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, UMR137, 91767 Palaiseau, France 3 Université Grenoble Alpes, INAC-SP2M, F-38000 Grenoble, France 4 CEA, Institut Nanosciences et Cryogénie, F-38000 Grenoble, France 5 Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan 6 Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-0043, Japan 7 UR1 CNRS, Synchrotron SOLEIL, Saint-Aubin, 91192 Gif sur Yvette, France 8 Synchrotron SOLEIL, Saint-Aubin, 91192 Gif sur Yvette, France

Precessional spin-transfer switching in a magnetic tunnel junction with a synthetic antiferromagnetic perpendicular polarizer

This paper reports sub-nanosecond precessional spin-transfer switching in elliptical magnetic tunnel junction nanopillars. This result is obtained in samples integrating a synthetic antiferromagnetic perpendicular polarizer and a tunnel junction with in-plane magnetized electrodes. The out-of-plane precession of the free layer magnetization results in oscillations of the switching probability as a function of the pulse width. At 9.25 MA/cm2 current density, these oscillations have a period of 1u2009ns with a high degree of coherence.

Spin transfer torque switching assisted by thermally induced anisotropy reorientation in perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions

A method to switch the magnetization of the free layer in magnetic tunnel junctions with perpendicular anisotropy is demonstrated. It consists in assisting the spin transfer switching of the magnetization by a thermally induced reorientation of the free layer magnetic anisotropy from out-of-plane to in-plane. The junction temperature increase is due to the Joule dissipation around the tunnel barrier produced by the same pulse of current which generates the spin transfer torque. This magnetic reorientation allows the spin transfer torque efficiency to be maximal since the spin polarization of the current is perpendicular to the magnetization of the free layer. Such a thermally assisted switching allows designing highly down-size scalable magnetoresistive random access memory cells with improved write efficiency.

Electrical and thermal spin accumulation in germanium

In this letter, we first show electrical spin injection in the germanium conduction band at room temperature and modulate the spin signal by applying a gate voltage to the channel. The corresponding signal modulation agrees well with the predictions of spin diffusion models. Then, by setting a temperature gradient between germanium and the ferromagnet, we create a thermal spin accumulation in germanium without any charge current. We show that temperature gradients yield larger spin accumulations than electrical spin injection but, due to competing microscopic effects, the thermal spin accumulation remains surprisingly unchanged under the application of a gate voltage.

Spin Signal in Metallic Lateral Spin Valves Made by a Multiple Angle Evaporation Technique

We report on the fabrication of metallic lateral spin valves using different evaporation directions for respective ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic materials. In this way, we can fabricate and connect different nanowires through the same resist mask in a single evaporation sequence, avoiding interface contamination. With this technique and by reducing the wire widths down to 50 nm, we obtained spin signals as large as 24 mΩ at 77 K in devices with transparent interfaces. We studied the influence of the nonmagnetic metal. Spin signals are found to be much larger for Al and Cu than for Au-based devices.

Improved coherence of ultrafast spin-transfer-driven precessional switching with synthetic antiferromagnet perpendicular polarizer

The coherence of the precessional switching was compared in planar spin-valves comprising either an additional simple perpendicular polarizer or a synthetic antiferromagnet perpendicular polarizer. A significant improvement in the precession coherence was observed experimentally in the second type of samples. Micromagnetic simulations were performed to study the effect of the stray field from the perpendicular polarizer. They provide an explanation for the gradual loss of coherence of the precession in terms of vortex formation, which occurs much faster when a simple perpendicular polarizer is used.