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arXiv · 2307.04900

Angular dependence of spin-orbit torque in monolayer $Fe_3GeTe_2$

Fei Xue·Mark D. Stiles·Paul M. Haney
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Abstract

In ferromagnetic systems lacking inversion symmetry, an applied electric field can control the ferromagnetic order parameters through the spin-orbit torque. The prototypical example is a bilayer heterostructure composed of a ferromagnet and a heavy metal that acts as a spin current source. In addition to such bilayers, spin-orbit coupling can mediate spin-orbit torques in ferromagnets that lack bulk inversion symmetry. A recently discovered example is the two-dimensional monolayer ferromagnet $Fe_3GeTe_2$. In this work, we use first-principles calculations to study the spin-orbit torque and ensuing magnetic dynamics in this material. By expanding the torque versus magnetization direction as a series of vector spherical harmonics, we find that higher order terms (up to $\ell=4$) are significant and play important roles in the magnetic dynamics. They give rise to deterministic, magnetic field-free electrical switching of perpendicular magnetization.

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Fei Xue, Mark D. Stiles, Paul M. Haney. 2023-07-10. Angular dependence of spin-orbit torque in monolayer $Fe_3GeTe_2$. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.108.144422

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