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arXiv · 1601.07687

Interfacial spin-orbit torque without bulk spin-orbit coupling

Satoru Emori·Tianxiang Nan·Amine M. Belkessam·Xinjun Wang·Alexei D. Matyushov·Christopher J. Babroski·Yuan Gao·Hwaider Lin·Nian X. Sun
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Abstract

An electric current in the presence of spin-orbit coupling can generate a spin accumulation that exerts torques on a nearby magnetization. We demonstrate that, even in the absence of materials with strong bulk spin-orbit coupling, a torque can arise solely due to interfacial spin-orbit coupling, namely Rashba-Eldestein effects at metal/insulator interfaces. In magnetically soft NiFe sandwiched between a weak spin-orbit metal (Ti) and insulator (Al$_2$O$_3$), this torque appears as an effective field, which is significantly larger than the Oersted field and sensitive to insertion of an additional layer between NiFe and Al$_2$O$_3$. Our findings point to new routes for tuning spin-orbit torques by engineering interfacial electric dipoles.

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Satoru Emori, Tianxiang Nan, Amine M. Belkessam, Xinjun Wang, Alexei D. Matyushov, Christopher J. Babroski, Yuan Gao, Hwaider Lin, Nian X. Sun. 2016-02-12. Interfacial spin-orbit torque without bulk spin-orbit coupling. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.93.180402

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