Author(s): Cao, Y (Cao, Yi); Sheng, Y (Sheng, Yu); Edmonds, KW (Edmonds, Kevin William); Ji, Y (Ji, Yang); Zheng, HZ (Zheng, Houzhi); Wang, KY (Wang, Kaiyou)
Source: ADVANCED MATERIALS Article Number: 1907929 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201907929 Early Access Date: FEB 2020
Abstract: Current-induced magnetization switching by spin-orbit torque (SOT) holds considerable promise for next generation ultralow-power memory and logic applications. In most cases, generation of spin-orbit torques has relied on an external injection of out-of-plane spin currents into the magnetic layer, while an external magnetic field along the electric current direction is generally required for realizing deterministic switching by SOT. Here, deterministic current-induced SOT full magnetization switching by lateral spin-orbit torque in zero external magnetic field is reported. The Pt/Co/Pt magnetic structure is locally annealed by a laser track along the in-plane current direction, resulting in a lateral Pt gradient within the ferromagnetic layer, as confirmed by microstructure and chemical composition analysis. In zero magnetic field, the direction of the deterministic current-induced magnetization switching depends on the location of the laser track, but shows no dependence on the net polarization of external out-of-plane spin currents. From the behavior under external magnetic fields, two independent mechanisms giving rise to SOT are identified, i.e., the lateral Pt-Co asymmetry as well as out-of-plane injected spin currents, where the polarization and the magnitude of the SOT in the former case depends on the relative location and the laser power of the annealing track.
Accession Number: WOS:000516847800001
PubMed ID: 32108384
Author Identifiers:
AuthorWeb of Science ResearcherIDORCID Number
Cao, Yi 0000-0001-7718-0394
ISSN: 0935-9648
eISSN: 1521-4095
Full Text: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adma.201907929