Y. Kajiwara

Transmission of electrical signals by spin-wave interconversion in a magnetic insulator

The energy bandgap of an insulator is large enough to prevent electron excitation and electrical conduction. But in addition to charge, an electron also has spin, and the collective motion of spin can propagate—and so transfer a signal—in some insulators. This motion is called a spin wave and is usually excited using magnetic fields. Here we show that a spin wave in an insulator can be generated and detected using spin-Hall effects, which enable the direct conversion of an electric signal into a spin wave, and its subsequent transmission through (and recovery from) an insulator over macroscopic distances. First, we show evidence for the transfer of spin angular momentum between an insulator magnet Y3Fe5O12 and a platinum film. This transfer allows direct conversion of an electric current in the platinum film to a spin wave in the Y3Fe5O12 via spin-Hall effects. Second, making use of the transfer in a Pt/Y3Fe5O12/Pt system, we demonstrate that an electric current in one metal film induces voltage in the other, far distant, metal film. Specifically, the applied electric current is converted into spin angular momentum owing to the spin-Hall effect in the first platinum film; the angular momentum is then carried by a spin wave in the insulating Y3Fe5O12 layer; at the distant platinum film, the spin angular momentum of the spin wave is converted back to an electric voltage. This effect can be switched on and off using a magnetic field. Weak spin damping in Y3Fe5O12 is responsible for its transparency for the transmission of spin angular momentum. This hybrid electrical transmission method potentially offers a means of innovative signal delivery in electrical circuits and devices.

Spin Seebeck insulator

Thermoelectric generation is an essential function in future energy-saving technologies. However, it has so far been an exclusive feature of electric conductors, a situation which limits its application; conduction electrons are often problematic in the thermal design of devices. Here we report electric voltage generation from heat flowing in an insulator. We reveal that, despite the absence of conduction electrons, the magnetic insulator LaY(2)Fe(5)O(12) can convert a heat flow into a spin voltage. Attached Pt films can then transform this spin voltage into an electric voltage as a result of the inverse spin Hall effect. The experimental results require us to introduce a thermally activated interface spin exchange between LaY(2)Fe(5)O(12) and Pt. Our findings extend the range of potential materials for thermoelectric applications and provide a crucial piece of information for understanding the physics of the spin Seebeck effect.

Inverse spin-Hall effect induced by spin pumping in metallic system

The inverse spin-Hall effect (ISHE) induced by the spin pumping has been investigated systematically in simple ferromagnetic/paramagnetic bilayer systems. The spin pumping driven by ferromagnetic resonance injects a spin current into the paramagnetic layer, which gives rise to an electromotive force transverse to the spin current using the ISHE in the paramagnetic layer. In a Ni81Fe19/Pt film, we found an electromotive force perpendicular to the applied magnetic field at the ferromagnetic resonance condition. The spectral shape of the electromotive force is well reproduced using a simple Lorentz function, indicating that the electromotive force is due to the ISHE induced by the spin pumping; extrinsic magnetogalvanic effects are eliminated in this measurement. The electromotive force varies systematically by changing the microwave power, magnetic-field angle, and film size, being consistent with the prediction based on the Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equation combined with the models of the ISHE and spin pump...

Thermal spin pumping and magnon-phonon-mediated spin-Seebeck effect

The spin-Seebeck effect (SSE) in ferromagnetic metals and insulators has been investigated systematically by means of the inverse spin-Hall effect (ISHE) in paramagnetic metals. The SSE generates a spin voltage as a result of a temperature gradient in a ferromagnet, which injects a spin current into an attached paramagnetic metal. In the paramagnet, this spin current is converted into an electric field due to the ISHE, enabling the electric detection of the SSE. The observation of the SSE is performed in longitudinal and transverse configurations consisting of a ferromagnet/paramagnet hybrid structure, where thermally generated spin currents flowing parallel and perpendicular to the temperature gradient are detected, respectively. Our results explain the SSE in terms of a two-step process: (1) the temperature gradient creates a non-equilibrium state in the ferromagnet governed by both magnon and phonon propagations and (2) the non-equilibrium between magnons in the ferromagnet and electrons in the paramagnet at the contact interface leads to “thermal spin pumping” and the ISHE signal. The non-equilibrium state of metallic magnets (e.g., Ni81Fe19) under a temperature gradient is governed mainly by the phonons in the sample and the substrate, while in insulating magnets (e.g., Y3Fe5O12), both magnon and phonon propagations appear to be important. The phonon-mediated non-equilibrium that drives the thermal spin pumping is confirmed also by temperature-dependent measurements, giving rise to a giant enhancement of the SSE signals at low temperatures.

Enhancement of the spin pumping efficiency by spin wave mode selection

The spin pumping efficiency of standing spin wave modes in a rectangular Y3Fe5O12/Pt sample has been investigated by means of inverse spin-Hall effect (ISHE). Standing spin waves drive spin pumping, the generation of spin currents from magnetization precession, into the Pt layer which is converted into a detectable voltage due to the ISHE. We discovered that the spin pumping efficiency is significantly higher for standing surface spin waves, hybridized with thickness modes, rather than for volume spin wave modes. The results suggest that the use of higher-mode surface spin waves allows for the fabrication of an efficient spin-current injector.

Unidirectional spin-wave heat conveyer.

When energy is introduced into a region of matter, it heats up and the local temperature increases. This energy spontaneously diffuses away from the heated region. In general, heat should flow from warmer to cooler regions and it is not possible to externally change the direction of heat conduction. Here we show a magnetically controllable heat flow caused by a spin-wave current. The direction of the flow can be switched by applying a magnetic field. When microwave energy is applied to a region of ferrimagnetic Y3Fe5O12, an end of the magnet far from this region is found to be heated in a controlled manner and a negative temperature gradient towards it is formed. This is due to unidirectional energy transfer by the excitation of spin-wave modes without time-reversal symmetry and to the conversion of spin waves into heat. When a Y3Fe5O12 film with low damping coefficients is used, spin waves are observed to emit heat at the sample end up to 10 mm away from the excitation source. The magnetically controlled remote heating we observe is directly applicable to the fabrication of a heat-flow controller.

Spin mixing conductance at a well-controlled platinum/yttrium iron garnet interface

A platinum (Pt)/yttrium iron garnet (YIG) bilayer system with a well-controlled interface has been developed; spin mixing conductance at the Pt/YIG interface has been studied. A clear interface with good crystal perfection is experimentally demonstrated to be one of the important factors for an ultimate spin mixing conductance. The spin mixing conductance is obtained to be 1.3 × 1018 m–2 at the well-controlled Pt/YIG interface, which is close to a theoretical prediction.

Interface induced inverse spin Hall effect in bismuth/permalloy bilayer

Inverse spin Hall effect has been investigated in bismuth(Bi)/permalloy(Py) bilayer films by using the spin pumping at room temperature. From the ferromagnetic-resonance-spectrum linewidth data, Bi is proved to be a good spin sink in our structure. We measured inverse spin Hall voltage and conductance of the Bi/Py bilayer and found that the inverse spin Hall current, Ic, decreases with increasing the Bi thickness, which is in contrast to the former understanding in similar bilayer systems, e.g., Pt/Py. We constructed a model to explain the thickness dependence of Ic quantitatively, in which spin transport modulation near Bi/Py interface is considered.

All-oxide system for spin pumping

In a simple all-oxide system, spin pumping driven by spin wave resonances have been investigated by using the inverse spin-Hall effect (ISHE). In a lanthanum doped yttrium iron garnet (La:YIG)/indium tin oxide (ITO) bilayer film, the spin pumping generates and injects a spin current into the ITO layer, and an electromotive force signal is observed via the ISHE. The electromotive forces were measured depend on the out-of-plane magnetic-field-angle and the microwave excitation power, which were consistent with the theoretical prediction of the ISHE. The realization of the all-oxide spin pumping system extends possibilities for the oxide spintronics.

Universality of the spin pumping in metallic bilayer films

We show a clear guideline for generating a large spin current using the spin pumping in metallic bilayer films. We measured spin currents generated by the spin pumping in Ni1−xFex/Pt bilayer films using the inverse spin-Hall effect (ISHE). The magnitude of the ISHE signals are well reproduced by a calculation based on the model of the spin pumping. The result shows that the amplitude of a spin current is universally determined by the product of the saturation magnetization, the additional damping constant, and the solid angle of the magnetization precession.