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arXiv · 2504.05780

Orbital Current-Driven Magnetization Switching in a Magnetic Tunnel Junction

Jingkai Xu·Dongxing Zheng·Meng Tang·Chen Liu·Bin He·Man Yang·Hao Li·Yan Li·Aitian Chen·Senfu Zhang·Ziqiang Qiu·Xixiang Zhang
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Abstract

Spin-orbitronics, based on both spin and orbital angular momentum, presents a promising pathway for energy-efficient memory and logic devices. Recent studies have demonstrated the emergence of orbital currents in light transition metals such as Ti, Cr, and Zr, broadening the scope of spin-orbit torque (SOT). In particular, the orbital Hall effect, which arises independently of spin-obit coupling, has shown potential for enhancing torque efficiency in spintronic devices. However, the direct integration of orbital current into magnetic random-access memory (MRAM) remains unexplored. In this work, we design a light metal/heavy metal/ferromagnet multilayer structure and experimentally demonstrate magnetization switching by orbital current. Furthermore, we have realized a robust SOT-MRAM cell by incorporating a reference layer that is pinned by a synthetic antiferromagnetic structure. We observed a tunnel magnetoresistance of 66%, evident in both magnetic field and current-driven switching processes. Our findings underscore the potential for employing orbital current in designing next-generation spintronic devices.

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Jingkai Xu, Dongxing Zheng, Meng Tang, Chen Liu, Bin He, Man Yang, Hao Li, Yan Li, Aitian Chen, Senfu Zhang, Ziqiang Qiu, Xixiang Zhang. 2025-04-08. Orbital Current-Driven Magnetization Switching in a Magnetic Tunnel Junction. https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.05780

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