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Origin of fieldlike spin-orbit torques in heavy metal/ferromagnet/oxide thin film heterostructures

Cornell Affiliated Author(s)

Author

Yongxi Ou
Chi-Feng Pai
Shengjie Shi
D. Ralph
Robert Buhrman

Abstract

We report measurements of the thickness and temperature (T) dependencies of current-induced spin-orbit torques, especially the fieldlike (FL) component, in various heavy metal (HM)/normal metal (NM) spacer/ferromagnet (FM)/oxide (MgO and HfOx/MgO) heterostructures. The FL torque in these samples originates from spin current generated by the spin Hall effect in the HM. For a FM layer sufficiently thin that a substantial portion of this spin current can reach the FM/oxide interface, T-dependent spin scattering there can yield a strong FL torque that is, in some cases, opposite in sign to that exerted at the NM/FM interface. © 2016 American Physical Society.

Date Published

Journal

American Physical Society (APS)

Volume

94

Issue

14

URL

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84994341243&doi=10.1103%2fPhysRevB.94.140414&partnerID=40&md5=77aeff62a83ccaa33ef5eb21a4bb3010

DOI

10.1103/PhysRevB.94.140414

Funding Source

ECCS-1542081
DMR-1120296

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