S. T. B. Goennenwein

Quantitative study of the spin Hall magnetoresistance in ferromagnetic insulator/normal metal hybrids

We experimentally investigate and quantitatively analyze the spin Hall magnetoresistance effect in ferromagnetic insulator/platinum and ferromagnetic insulator/nonferromagnetic metal/platinum hybrid structures. For the ferromagnetic insulator, we use either yttrium iron garnet, nickel ferrite, or magnetite and for the nonferromagnet, copper or gold. The spin Hall magnetoresistance effect is theoretically ascribed to the combined action of spin Hall and inverse spin Hall effect in the platinum metal top layer. It therefore should characteristically depend upon the orientation of the magnetization in the adjacent ferromagnet and prevail even if an additional, nonferromagnetic metal layer is inserted between Pt and the ferromagnet. Our experimental data corroborate these theoretical conjectures. Using the spin Hall magnetoresistance theory to analyze our data, we extract the spin Hall angle and the spin diffusion length in platinum. For a spin-mixing conductance of 4×1014 ??1m?2, we obtain a spin Hall angle of 0.11±0.08 and a spin diffusion length of (1.5±0.5) nm for Pt in our thin-film samples

Electric field controlled manipulation of the magnetization in Ni/BaTiO3 hybrid structures

The manipulation of the ferromagnetic magnetization via electric fields is investigated in Ni/BaTiO3 hybrid structures. The application of an electric field to the ferroelectric BaTiO3 induces elastic strain. In the Ni/BaTiO3 hybrids, this strain is transferred into the ferromagnetic Ni layer, affecting its magnetization due to inverse magnetostriction. Two approaches to electrically alter the Ni magnetization are investigated. One approach exploits the strain-induced change of the nickel magnetic coercivity, and allows for both reversible and irreversible magnetization control. The other is based on irreversible ferroelectric domain effects in BaTiO3, and yields two different electro-remanent magnetization states.

Scaling behavior of the spin pumping effect in ferromagnet-platinum bilayers.

We systematically measured the dc voltage V(ISH) induced by spin pumping together with the inverse spin Hall effect in ferromagnet-platinum bilayer films. In all our samples, comprising ferromagnetic 3d transition metals, Heusler compounds, ferrite spinel oxides, and magnetic semiconductors, V(ISH) invariably has the same polarity, and scales with the magnetization precession cone angle. These findings, together with the spin mixing conductance derived from the experimental data, quantitatively corroborate the present theoretical understanding of spin pumping in combination with the inverse spin Hall effect.

Advanced spectroscopic synchrotron techniques to unravel the intrinsic properties of dilute magnetic oxides: the case of Co:ZnO

The use of synchrotron-based spectroscopy has revolutionized the way we look at matter. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) using linear and circular polarized light offers a powerful toolbox of element-specific structural, electronic and magnetic probes that is especially well suited for complex materials containing several elements. We use the specific example of Zn1−xCoxO (Co:ZnO) to demonstrate the usefulness of combining these XAS techniques to unravel its intrinsic properties. We demonstrate that as long as phase separation or excessive defect formation is absent, Co:ZnO is paramagnetic. We can establish quantitative thresholds based on four reliable quality indicators using XAS; samples that show ferromagnet-like behaviour fail to meet these quality indicators, and complementary experimental techniques indeed prove phase separation. Careful analysis of XAS spectra is shown to provide quantitative information on the presence and type of dilute secondary phases in a highly sensitive, non-destructive manner.

Spin pumping with coherent elastic waves

We show that the resonant coupling of phonons and magnons can be exploited to generate spin currents at room temperature. Surface acoustic wave pulses with a frequency of 1.55 GHz and duration of 300 ns provide coherent elastic waves in a ferromagnetic thin-film-normal-metal (Co/Pt) bilayer. We use the inverse spin Hall voltage in the Pt as a measure for the spin current and record its evolution as a function of time and external magnetic field magnitude and orientation. Our experiments show that a spin current is generated in the exclusive presence of a resonant elastic excitation. This establishes acoustic spin pumping as a resonant analogue to the spin Seebeck effect.

Surface Acoustic Wave-Driven Ferromagnetic Resonance in Nickel Thin Films: Theory and Experiment

We present an extensive experimental and theoretical study of surface acoustic wave-driven ferromagnetic resonance. In a first modeling approach based on the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation, we derive expressions for the magnetization dynamics upon magnetoelastic driving that are used to calculate the absorbed microwave power upon magnetic resonance as well as the spin current density generated by the precessing magnetization in the vicinity of a ferromagnet/normal metal interface. In a second modeling approach, we deal with the backaction of the magnetization dynamics on the elastic wave by solving the elastic wave equation and the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation selfconsistently, obtaining analytical solutions for the acoustic wave phase shift and attenuation. We compare both modeling approaches with the complex forward transmission of a LiNbO

Nonvolatile, reversible electric-field controlled switching of remanent magnetization in multifunctional ferromagnetic/ferroelectric hybrids

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Giant magnetic anisotropy changes in Sr2CrReO6 thin films on BaTiO3

/Ni surface acoustic wave hybrid device recorded experimentally as a function of the external magnetic field orientation and magnitude, rotating the field within three different planes and employing three different surface acoustic wave frequencies. We find quantitative agreement of the experimentally observed power absorption and surface acoustic wave phase shift with our modeling predictions using one set of parameters for all field configurations and frequencies.

Magnetic interference patterns in 0-pi superconductor/insulator/ferromagnet/superconductor Josephson junctions: Effects of asymmetry between 0 and pi regions

In spin-mechanics, the magnetoelastic coupling in ferromagnetic/ferroelectric hybrid devices is exploited in order to realize an electric-voltage control of magnetization orientation. To this end, different voltage-induced elastic strain states are used to generate different magnetization orientations. In our approach, we take advantage of the hysteretic expansion and contraction of a commercial piezoelectric actuator as a function of electrical voltage to deterministically select one of two electro-remanent elastic strain states. We investigate the resulting magnetic response in a nickel thin film/piezoelectric actuator hybrid device at room temperature, using simultaneous magneto-optical Kerr effect and magnetotransport measurements. The magnetic properties of the hybrid can be consistently described in a macrospin model, i.e., in terms of a single magnetic domain. At zero external magnetic field, the magnetization orientation in the two electro-remanent strain states differs by 15°, which corresponds to a magnetoresistance change of 0.5%. These results demonstrate that the spin-mechanics scheme indeed enables a nonvolatile electrically read- and writable memory bit where the information is encoded in a magnetic property.

Impact of the interface quality of Pt/YIG(111) hybrids on their spin Hall magnetoresistance

The integration of ferromagnetic and ferroelectric materials into hybrid heterostructures yields multifunctional systems with improved or novel functionality. We here report on the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of the ferromagnetic double perovskite Sr2CrReO6, grown as epitaxial thin film onto ferroelectric BaTiO3. As a function of temperature, the crystal-structure of BaTiO3 undergoes phase transitions, which induce qualitative changes in the magnetic anisotropy of the ferromagnet. We observe abrupt changes in the coercive field of up to 1.2 T along with resistance changes of up to 6.5%. These results are attributed to the high sensitivity of the double perovskites to mechanical deformation.