arXiv subjects

Laurent Vila

Publications and source records attributed to Laurent Vila.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Current-driven domain wall dynamics in ferrimagnetic Ni-doped Mn4N films : very large domain wall velocities and reversal of motion direction across the magnetic compensation point

Spin-transfer torque (STT) and spin-orbit torque (SOT) are spintronic phenomena allowing magnetization manipulation using electrical currents. Beyond their fundamental interest, they allow developing new classes of magnetic memories and logic devices, in particular based on domain wall (DW) motion. In this work, we report the study of STT driven DW motion in ferrimagnetic manganese nickel nitride (Mn4-xNixN) films, in which a fine adjustment of the Ni content allows setting the magnetic compensation at room temperature. The reduced magnetization, combined with the large spin polarization of conduction electrons, strongly enhances the STT so that domain wall velocities approaching 3000 m/s can be obtained for Ni compositions close to the compensation point. In addition, a reversal of the domain wall motion direction is observed when the magnetic compensation composition is crossed. This striking feature, related to the change of direction of the spin polarization with respect to that of the net magnetization, is clarified by ab initio band structure calculations.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Metal/SrTiO$_3$ two-dimensional electron gases for spin-to-charge conversion

SrTiO$_3$-based two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) can be formed through the deposition of epitaxial oxides like LaAlO$_3$ or of reactive metals such as Al. Such 2DEGs possess a finite Rashba spin-orbit coupling that has recently been harnessed to interconvert charge and spin currents through the direct and inverse Edelstein and spin Hall effects. Here we compare the formation and properties of 2DEGs generated in SrTiO$_3$ by the growth of Al, Ta and Y ultrathin films by magnetron sputtering. By combining in situ and ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) we gain insight into the reduction of the SrTiO$_3$ and the appearance of Ti$^{3+}$ states associated with 2DEG formation, its reoxidation by exposure to the air, and the transformation of the metal into its binary oxides. We extract the carrier densities through magnetotransport and compare them with the XPS data. Finally, working with samples covered by an extra layer of NiFe, we perform spin-pumping ferromagnetic resonance experiments and investigate spin-charge conversion as a function of gate voltage. We identify trends in the data across the different sample systems and discuss them as a function of the carrier density and the transparency of the metal oxide tunnel barrier.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Enhancement of YIG$|$Pt spin conductance by local Joule annealing

We report that Joule heating can be used to enhance the interfacial spin conductivity between a metal and an oxide. We observe that local annealing of the interface at about 550\,K by injecting large current densities ($>10^{12}\text{A/m}^{2}$) into a pristine 7\,nm thick Pt nanostrip evaporated on top of yttrium iron garnet (YIG), can improve the spin transmission up to a factor 3: a result of particular interest for interfacing ultra thin garnet films where strong chemical etching of the surface has to be avoided. The effect is confirmed by different methods: spin Hall magnetoresistance, spin pumping and non-local spin transport. We use it to study the influence of the YIG$|$Pt coupling on the non-linear spin transport properties. We find that the cross-over current from a linear to a non-linear spin transport regime is independent of this coupling, suggesting that the behavior of pure spin currents circulating in the dielectric are mostly governed by the physical properties of the bare YIG film beside the Pt nanostrip.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Short-range Thermal Magnon Diffusion in Magnetic Garnet

Using the spin Seebeck effect (SSE), we study the propagation distance of thermal spin currents inside a magnetic insulator thin film in the short-range regime. We disambiguate spin currents driven by temperature and chemical potential gradients by comparing the SSE signal before and after adding a thermalization capping layer on the same device. We report that the measured spin decay behavior near the heat source is well accounted for by a diffusion model where the magnon diffusion length is in submicron range, \textit{i.e.} two orders of magnitude smaller than previous estimates inferred from the long-range behavior. Our results highlight the caveat in applying a diffusive theory to describe thermal magnon transport, where a single decay length may not capture the behavior on all length scales.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Measurement of the Spin Absorption Anisotropy in Lateral Spin Valves

The spin absorption process in a ferromagnetic material depends on the spin orientation relativelyto the magnetization. Using a ferromagnet to absorb the pure spin current created within a lateralspin-valve, we evidence and quantify a sizeable orientation dependence of the spin absorption inCo, CoFe and NiFe. These experiments allow determining the spin-mixing conductance, an elusivebut fundamental parameter of the spin-dependent transport. We show that the obtained valuescannot be understood within a model considering only the Larmor, transverse decoherence and spindiffusion lengths, and rather suggest that the spin-mixing conductance is actually limited by theSharvin conductance.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

A switchable two-dimensional electron gas based on ferroelectric Ca:SrTiO$_3$

Two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) can form at the surface of oxides and semiconductors or in carefully designed quantum wells and interfaces. Depending on the shape of the confining potential, 2DEGs may experience a finite electric field, which gives rise to relativistic effects such as the Rashba spin-orbit coupling. Although the amplitude of this electric field can be modulated by an external gate voltage, which in turn tunes the 2DEG carrier density, sheet resistance and other related properties, this modulation is volatile. Here, we report the design of a ''ferroelectric'' 2DEG whose transport properties can be electrostatically switched in a non-volatile way. We generate a 2DEG by depositing a thin Al layer onto a SrTiO$_3$ single crystal in which 1 percent of Sr is substituted by Ca to make it ferroelectric. Signatures of the ferroelectric phase transition at 25 K are visible in the Raman response and in the temperature dependences of the carrier density and sheet resistance that shows a hysteretic dependence on electric field as a consequence of ferroelectricity. We suggest that this behavior may be extended to other oxide 2DEGs, leading to novel types of ferromagnet-free spintronic architectures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Independence of the inverse spin Hall effect with the magnetic phase in thin NiCu films

Large spin Hall angles have been observed in 3d ferromagnets, but their origin, and especially their link with the ferromagnetic order, remain unclear. Here, we investigate the inverse spin Hall effect of Ni60Cu40 and Ni50Cu50 across their Curie temperature using spin pumping experiments. We evidence that the inverse spin Hall effect in these samples is comparable to that of platinum, and that it is insensitive to the magnetic order. These results points towards a Heisenberg localized model of the transition, and suggest that the large spin Hall effects in 3d ferromagnets can be independent of the magnetic phase.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Negligible thermal contributions to the spin pumping signal in ferromagnetic metal-Platinum bilayers

Spin pumping by ferromagnetic resonance is one of the most common technique to determine spin hall angles, Edelstein lengths or spin diffusion lengths of a large variety of materials. In recent years, rising concerns have appeared regarding the interpretation of these experiments, underlining that the signal could arise purely from thermoelectric effects, rather than from coherent spin pumping. Here, we propose a method to evaluate the presence or absence of thermal effects in spin pumping signals, by combining bolometry and spin pumping by ferromagnetic resonance measurements, and comparing their timescale. Using a cavity to perform the experiments on Pt\Permalloy and La0.7Sr0.3MnO3\Pt samples, we conclude on the absence of any measurable thermoelectric contribution such as the spin Seebeck and anomalous Nernst effects at resonance

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Coherent long-range transfer of angular momentum between magnon Kittel modes by phonons

We report ferromagnetic resonance in the normal configuration of an electrically insulating magnetic bilayer consisting of two yttrium iron garnet (YIG) films epitaxially grown on both sides of a 0.5-mm-thick nonmagnetic gadolinium gallium garnet (GGG) slab. An interference pattern is observed and it is explained as the strong coupling of the magnetization dynamics of the two YIG layers either in phase or out of phase by the standing transverse sound waves, which are excited through a magnetoelastic interaction. This coherent mediation of angular momentum by circularly polarized phonons through a nonmagnetic material over macroscopic distances can be useful for future information technologies.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Effective field analysis using the full angular spin-orbit torque magnetometry dependence

Spin-orbit torques promise ultra-efficient magnetization switching used for advanced devices based on emergent quasi-particles such as domain walls and skyrmions. Recently, the spin structure dynamics, materials and systems with tailored spin-orbit torques are being developed. A method, which allows one to detect the acting torques in a given system as a function of the magnetization direction is the torque-magnetometry method based on a higher harmonics analysis of the anomalous Hall-effect. Here we show that the effective fields acting on magnetic domain walls that govern the efficiency of their dynamics require a sophisticated analysis taking into account the full angular dependence of the torques. Using a 1-D model we compared the spin orbit torque efficiencies by depinning measurements and spin torque magnetometry. We show that the effective fields can be accurately determined and we find good agreement. Thus our method allows us now to rapidly screen materials and predict the resulting quasi-particle dynamics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Low spin-polarization in the heavy metal\ferromagnet structures detected through the domain wall motion by synchronized magnetic field and current

CoFeB is a very soft material, in which Domain Wall (DW) can be moved easily under a weak magnetic field. However, it is very difficult to move DWs in Ta\CoFeB\MgO nanowires with interfacial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy through a spin-polarized current, and this limits the perspectives of racetrack memory driven by the current-in-plane mechanism. To investigate this phenomenon, we performed experiments of DW velocity measurement by applying a magnetic field and a current simultaneously. Working in the precessional regime, we have been able to see a very important effect of the spin-polarized current, which allows evaluating the polarization rate of the charge carriers. An unexpected quite low spin polarization rate down to 0.26 have been obtained, which can explain the low efficiency of DW motion induced by the spin-polarized current. Possible reasons for this low rate are analyzed, such as the spin relaxation in the Ta layer.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Spin diffusion length and polarization of ferromagnetic metals measured by spin-absorption technique in lateral spin valves

We present measurements of pure spin current absorption on lateral spin valves. By varying the width of the absorber we demonstrate that spin current absorption measurements enable to characterize efficiently the spin transport properties of ferromagnetic elements. The analytical model used to describe the measurement takes into account the polarization of the absorber. The analysis of the measurements allows thus determining the polarization and the spin diffusion length of a studied material independently, contrarily to most experiments based on lateral spin valves where those values are entangled. We report the spin transport parameters of some of the most important materials used in spinorbitronics (Co60Fe40, Ni81Fe19, Co, Pt, and Ta), at room and low (10 K) temperatures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Millimeter-sized magnetic domains in perpendicularly magnetized ferrimagnetic Mn4N thin films grown on SrTiO3

The use of epitaxial layers for domain wall-based spintronic applications is often hampered by the presence of pinning sites. Here, we show that when depositing Mn4N(10 nm) epitaxial films, the replacement of MgO(001) by SrTiO3(001) substrates allows minimizing the misfit, and to obtain an improved crystalline quality, a sharper switching, a full remanence, a high anisotropy and remarkable millimeter-sized magnetic domains, with straight and smooth domain walls. In a context of rising interest for current-induced domain wall motion in rare

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Electrical properties of single crystal Yttrium Iron Garnet ultra-thin films at high temperatures

We report a study on the electrical properties of 19 nm thick Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) films grown by liquid phase epitaxy. The electrical conductivity and Hall coefficient are measured in the high temperature range [300,400]~K using a Van der Pauw four-point probe technique. We find that the electrical resistivity decreases exponentially with increasing temperature following an activated behavior corresponding to a band-gap of $E_g\approx 2$ eV, indicating that epitaxial YIG ultra-thin films behave as large gap semiconductor, and not as electrical insulator. The resistivity drops to about $5\times 10^3$~$Ω\cdot \text{cm}$ at $T=400$ K. We also infer the Hall mobility, which is found to be positive ($p$-type) at 5 cm$^2$/(V$\cdot$sec) and about independent of temperature. We discuss the consequence for non-local transport experiments performed on YIG at room temperature. These electrical properties are responsible for an offset voltage (independent of the in-plane field direction) whose amplitude, odd in current, grows exponentially with current due to Joule heating. These electrical properties also induce a sensitivity to the perpendicular component of the magnetic field through the Hall effect. In our lateral device, a thermoelectric offset voltage is produced by a temperature gradient along the wire direction proportional to the perpendicular component of the magnetic field (Righi-Leduc effects).

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Spin conductance of YIG thin films driven from thermal to subthermal magnons regime by large spin-orbit torque

We report a study on spin conductance in ultra-thin films of Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG), where spin transport is provided by propagating spin waves, that are generated and detected by direct and inverse spin Hall effects in two Pt wires deposited on top. While at low current the spin conductance is dominated by transport of thermal magnons, at high current, the spin conductance is dominated by low-damping non-equilibrium magnons thermalized near the spectral bottom by magnon-magnon interaction, with consequent a sensitivity to the applied magnetic field and a longer decay length. This picture is supported by microfocus Brillouin Light Scattering spectroscopy.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Direct observation of domain wall surface tension by deflating or inflating a magnetic bubble

The surface energy of a magnetic Domain Wall (DW) strongly affects its static and dynamic behaviours. However, this effect was seldom directly observed and many related phenomena have not been well understood. Moreover, a reliable method to quantify the DW surface energy is still missing. Here, we report a series of experiments in which the DW surface energy becomes a dominant parameter. We observed that a semicircular magnetic domain bubble could spontaneously collapse under the Laplace pressure induced by DW surface energy. We further demonstrated that the surface energy could lead to a geometrically induced pinning when the DW propagates in a Hall cross or from a nanowire into a nucleation pad. Based on these observations, we developed two methods to quantify the DW surface energy, which could be very helpful to estimate intrinsic parameters such as Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interactions (DMI) or exchange stiffness in magnetic ultra-thin films.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Spin transfer driven resonant expulsion of a magnetic vortex core for efficient rf detector

Spin transfer magnetization dynamics have led to considerable advances in Spintronics, including opportunities for new nanoscale radiofrequency devices. Among the new functionalities is the radiofrequency(rf) detection using the spin diode rectification effect in spin torque nano-oscillators (STNOs). In this study, we focus on a new phenomenon, the resonant expulsion of a magnetic vortex in STNOs. This effect is observed when the excitation vortex radius, due to spin torques associated to rf currents, becomes larger than the actual radius of the STNO. This vortex expulsion is leading to a sharp variation of the voltage at the resonant frequency. Here we show that the detected frequency can be tuned by different parameters; furthermore, a simultaneous detection of different rf signals can be achieved by real time measurements with several STNOs having different diameters. This result constitutes a first proof-of-principle towards the development of a new kind of nanoscale rf threshold detector.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2016

Enhanced spin pumping efficiency in antiferromagnetic IrMn thin films around the magnetic phase transition

We report measurement of a spin pumping effect due to fluctuations of the magnetic order of IrMn thin films. A precessing NiFe ferromagnet injected spins into IrMn spin sinks, and enhanced damping was observed around the IrMn magnetic phase transition. Our data was compared to a recently developed theory and converted into interfacial spin mixing conductance enhancements. By spotting the spin pumping peak, the thickness dependence of the IrMn critical temperature could be determined and the characteristic length for the spin-spin interactions was deduced.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗