Yan-Ting Chen

Theory of spin Hall magnetoresistance

We present a theory of the spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) in multilayers made from an insulating ferromagnet F, such as yttrium iron garnet (YIG), and a normal metal N with spin-orbit interactions, such as platinum (Pt). The SMR is induced by the simultaneous action of spin Hall and inverse spin Hall effects and therefore a nonequilibrium proximity phenomenon. We compute the SMR in F|N and F|N|F layered systems, treating N by spin-diffusion theory with quantum mechanical boundary conditions at the interfaces in terms of the spin-mixing conductance. Our results explain the experimentally observed spin Hall magnetoresistance in N|F bilayers. For F|N|F spin valves we predict an enhanced SMR amplitude when magnetizations are collinear. The SMR and the spin-transfer torques in these trilayers can be controlled by the magnetic configuration.

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

Experimental Test of the Spin Mixing Interface Conductivity Concept

We perform a quantitative, comparative study of the spin pumping, spin Seebeck, and spin Hall magnetoresistance effects, all detected via the inverse spin Hall effect in a series of over 20 yttrium iron garnet/Pt samples. Our experimental results fully support present, exclusively spin current-based, theoretical models using a single set of plausible parameters for spin mixing conductance, spin Hall angle, and spin diffusion length. Our findings establish the purely spintronic nature of the aforementioned effects and provide a quantitative description, in particular, of the spin Seebeck effect.

Theory of spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) and related phenomena

We review the so-called spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) in bilayers of a magnetic insulator and a metal, in which spin currents are generated in the normal metal by the spin Hall effect. The associated angular momentum transfer to the ferromagnetic layer and thereby the electrical resistance is modulated by the angle between the applied current and the magnetization direction. The SMR provides a convenient tool to non-invasively measure the magnetization direction and spin-transfer torque to an insulator. We introduce the minimal theoretical instruments to calculate the SMR, i.e. spin diffusion theory and quantum mechanical boundary conditions. This leads to a small set of parameters that can be fitted to experiments. We discuss the limitations of the theory as well as alternative mechanisms such as the ferromagnetic proximity effect and Rashba spin-orbit torques, and point out new developments.

Current-induced spin-wave excitation in Pt/YIG bilayer

We develop a self-consistent theory for current-induced spin-wave excitations in normal metal/magnetic insulator bilayer structures. We compute the spin-wave dispersion and dissipation, including dipolar and exchange interactions in the magnet, the spin diffusion in the normal metal, as well as the surface anisotropy, spin-transfer torque, and spin pumping at the interface. We find that (1) the spin-transfer torque and spin pumping affect the surface modes more than the bulk modes; (2) spin pumping inhibits high-frequency spin-wave modes, thereby redshifting the excitation spectrum; (3) easy-axis surface anisotropy induces a new type of surface spin wave, which reduces the excitation threshold current and greatly enhances the excitation power. We propose that the magnetic insulator surface can be engineered to create spin-wave circuits utilizing surface spin waves as information carriers.

Evaluation of bulk-interface contributions to Edelstein magnetoresistance at metal/oxide interfaces

We report a systematic study on Edelstein magnetoresistance (Edelstein MR) in Co25Fe75/Cu/Bi2O3 heterostructures with a strong spin-orbit interaction at the Cu/Bi2O3 interface. We succeed in observing a significant dependence of the Edelstein MR on both Cu layer thickness and temperature, and also develop a general analytical model considering distinct bulk and interface contributions on spin relaxation. Our analysis, based on the above model, quantitatively illustrates a unique property of the spin transport near the Rashba interface, revealing a prominent role of the spin relaxation process by determining the ratios of the spin relaxation inside and outside the interface. We further find the characteristic spin transport is unaffected by temperature. Our results provide an essential tool for exploring the transport in a system with spin-momentum-locked two-dimensional states.

Magnetoresistance in ferromagnetic multilayer with strong interfacial spin-orbit coupling(Conference Presentation)

Spin-charge conversion induced by spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is attractive topic for alternative magnetization manipulation and involved various novel phenomena. Particularly Bi-based structure draws interest due to its large Rashba-Edelstein effect (REE) at interface between non-magnetic metal and Bi [1]. A recent report showed that spin-to-charge current conversion becomes more efficient when Bi2O3 is employed on behalf of the Bi [2]. Here we report novel type of magnetoresistance (MR) in Co25Fe75/Cu/Bi2O3 multilayer. This novel MR comes from conversion between spin and charge current at Cu/Bi2O3 interface, and distinctive spin transfer torque dependent on magnetization of the ferromagnetic Co25Fe75 layer. A Co25Fe75 (5)/Cu (0-30)/Bi2O3 (20) (unit:nm) multilayer was deposited with electron beam evaporation on shadow masked Si substrate. Hall bar shaped shadow mask was patterned with photo-lithography method. The MR measurement was performed via 4-point probe method with changing magnitude or angle of external field. Note that external field for angle dependent measurement was 6 T to make sure complete saturation of ferromagnetic layer. We found characteristic resistance drop when the magnetization of ferromagnetic layer is parallel to magnetic direction of spin accumulation, which is similar to spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) [3,4]. Further discussion will be given. [1] J. C. Rojas Sanchez et al. Nature Comm. 4, 2944 (2013). [2] S. Karube et al. Appl. Phys. Express. 9, 03301 (2016). [3] H. Nakayama et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 206601 (2013). [4] J. Kim et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. (in press).