arXiv subjects

Markus Meinert

Publications and source records attributed to Markus Meinert.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Thickness-Dependent Orbital-to-Spin Torque Signatures in Cr/Gd/Co Thin Films

We studied orbital-torque generation in Cr(10nm)/Gd($t_{\mathrm{Gd}}$)/Co(3nm)/TaO$_x$ and the inverted stack Co(3nm)/Gd($t_{\mathrm{Gd}}$)/Cr(10nm) with $t_{\mathrm{Gd}}$ from 0 to $5\,\mathrm{nm}$ by combining electrical harmonic Hall measurements with magnetometry. A detailed understanding of the magnetometric data is obtained by cross-sectional chemical composition mapping. The data show temperature-dependent magnetic compensation points, while elemental analysis provides evidence of pronounced intermixing, in particular of Gd and Co layers. From the harmonic Hall dataset we extract the damping-like (DL) and field-like (FL) torque efficiencies normalized to the applied electric field, $\xi_{\mathrm{DL}}^{E}$ and $\xi_{\mathrm{FL}}^{E}$, and interpret their dependence on the Gd interlayer thickness using two different descriptions: (i) a naive-layer model and (ii) an alloy model that accounts for interfacial mixing. Notably, upon reversing the stack order, the FL contribution changes sign, whereas the DL contribution does not change sign within the harmonic Hall measurements.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Terahertz Phase Inversion via Field-Free Spin-Orbit Torque Switching in an Antenna-Integrated Spintronic Heterostructure

We demonstrate microsecond-timescale electrical control of the terahertz (THz) emission phase in broadband field-free spintronic THz emitters, enabling megahertz-rate phase inversion while overcoming the kilohertz limitations of conventional mechanical and field-driven approaches. Our device integrates an H-dipole antenna with a spintronic heterostructure exhibiting uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, enabling deterministic spin-orbit torque induced in-plane magnetization switching without external magnetic fields. The corresponding THz phase inversion is directly observed in the time domain signal, by applying $1\,\mu \mathrm{s}$ electrical pulses on the bias striplines of the H-dipole. This field-free operation reduces system complexity while significantly extending modulation bandwidth. Our results establish electrically programmable spintronic THz emitters that could be used to develop a compact and scalable platform for integrated on-chip THz devices and ultrafast applications, including phase-sensitive spectroscopy and near-field imaging, where high-speed and precise control of THz waveforms is essential.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Fundamental picture of the conduction mechanism in solid-state polymer electrolytes revealed by terahertz spectroscopy

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) based on cross-linked poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) encompassing lithium salts have gained significant attention as separators in solid-state lithium metal batteries. Here, we employ terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS), as a noninvasive contact-free technique, to investigate the conduction properties of these cross-linked SPEs and unravel their dependencies on the added lithium salt and the sample temperature. The obtained THz conductivity spectra are dominated by THz absorption bands, which we attribute to resonant vibrations within the polymer matrix of the electrolyte. By careful application of Lorentz model, the conductivity spectra have been analyzed, and the relevant polymer vibration modes have been quantitatively assessed. Calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT) were performed to elucidate the possible microscopic mechanisms of these resonant vibrations. This study sheds light on the relevance of polymer matrix vibrations validating the hopping transport of lithium ions in SPEs which ultimately leads to the technologically relevant ionic conduction in the solid-state polymer-based electrolytes.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2026

Neel temperature and helical spin order of altermagnetic RuO2

The magnetic groundstate of RuO$_2$ remains controversial, with experimental evidence for a nonmagnetic groundstate of ideal bulk material and indications of a magnetic state in strained thin films. Here, I investigate the N\'eel temperature of the (hypothetical) altermagnetic state of bulk RuO$_2$, stabilized via the DFT$+U$ technique, by mapping on a Heisenberg Hamiltonian. The N\'eel temperature scales monotonously with the magnetic moment up to the point where a large $+U$ term opens a band gap and turns RuO$_2$ semiconducting. The maximum N\'eel temperature obtained by this procedure is 408\,K at $U=3$\,eV, and much smaller values for smaller $U$. A reciprocal-space eigenvalue analysis reveals a helimagnetic groundstate of the spin model due to intra-sublattice antiferromagnetic coupling. This situation resembles the isostructural $\beta$-MnO$_2$, which is a prototype helimagnet. Further comparison with calculations on CrO$_2$ and altermagnetic MnF$_2$ taking $U$ as an adjustable parameter supports the validity of the spin model analysis.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

A meta-GGA perspective on the altermagnetism of RuO2

The metallic oxide RuO$_2$ hosts a fascinating edge case of magnetism: while nonmagnetic in ideal bulk material, density functional theory (DFT) predicts an altermagnetic ground state within the DFT$+U$ method. The magnetic state of strained or doped thin films remains controversial, but evidence for a nontrivial magnetic state is ample. Here, I study the altermagnetic ground state of RuO$_2$ on a higher rung of Jacob's ladder of density functional approximations, the meta-GGA level including the kinetic energy density and the density Laplacian. While the workhorse functional of solid-state physics is a generalized gradient approximation (GGA), the modern r$^2$SCAN-L functional has been established as a general-purpose functional which can replace GGA, while systematically improving solid-state properties without introducing spurious errors like erroneous magnetic ground states. Comparison of LSDA+U, GGA+U, and meta-GGA+U results on RuO$_2$ shows systematic enhancement of the exchange interaction, leading to a reduction of the onset value of the Hubbard $U$ parameter at different levels of density functional approximation. However, the magnetic ground state, studied at the experimental lattice constants, remains nonmagnetic with r$^2$SCAN-L. I demonstrate that altermagnetism is easily formed upon lattice expansion, hole doping, and uniaxial strain on the c-axis. The r$^2$SCAN-L calculations set conservative thresholds for distortions and doping levels for the onset of altermagnetism in a parameter-free framework.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Uniaxial Magnetic Anisotropy and Type-X/Y Current-Induced Magnetization Switching in Oblique-Angle-Deposited Ta/CoFeB/Pt and W/CoFeB/Pt Heterostructures

Planar current-induced magnetization switching (CIMS) driven by spin-orbit torque (SOT) requires an in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy (UMA), which can be induced by oblique-angle sputter deposition of the heavy-metal underlayer in heavy-metal/ferromagnet heterostructures. To enhance the SOT efficiency, we employ trilayer heterostructures of (Ta or W)/CoFeB/Pt, where the CoFeB layer exhibits a UMA of 50 mT at 2 nm thickness of Ta or W. The magnetization reversal in Hall-bar devices is detected through unidirectional spin Hall magnetoresistance (USMR) for the type Y geometry (easy-axis transverse to current) and planar Hall measurements for the type X geometry (easy-axis parallel to current). Both configurations exhibit CIMS with sub-microsecond current pulses, reaching switching current densities as low as $2 \times 10^{11}$ A/m$^2$ for a W (4 nm)/CoFeB (1.4 nm)/Pt (2 nm) stack with a UMA of 146 mT. Macrospin simulations reproduce the type Y switching as coherent magnetization rotation, whereas the type X devices switch at much lower currents than predicted, indicating that nucleation and domain-wall propagation dominate reversal in this geometry. Our results show that combining oblique-angle deposition with easy-axis engineering enables deterministic, field-free switching, paving the way for future low-power spintronic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Spin Hall effect in the high-resistivity high-entropy alloy AlCrMoW

We study thin films of the high-entropy alloy system Al$_{x}$(CrMoW)$_{1-x}$, grown on Ta seed layers by magnetron co-sputtering. Between $x=0.2$ and $x=0.6$, a resistivity larger than 100$\mu\Omega$cm is achieved, with a peak of 180$\mu\Omega$cm at $x=0.5$. Around the stoichiometric composition AlCrMoW, the alloy forms a bcc solid solution. The harmonic Hall method was used to characterize the spin Hall angle of the alloy series, where a maximum spin Hall angle of $\theta = -0.12 \pm 0.01$ is observed for $x=0.25$. The implied spin Hall conductivity is $\sigma_\mathrm{SH} \approx -72\,000 \, \hbar/(2e)$\,S/m. The experimental results show excellent agreement with density functional theory calculations, which show similar trends and values. The results demonstrate that high-entropy alloys with a main-group element component can form a simple crystal structure and show high resistivity. This suggests that a whole new class of materials for spin Hall device engineering is available with simple methods.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Enhanced THz emission from spintronic emitters with Pt-Al alloys

Platinum (Pt) is the element with the largest spin Hall conductivity and is known as the most efficient spin-to-charge conversion material in spintronic THz emitters. By alloying with aluminum (Al), its resistivity can be substantially increased, exceeding $100\,\mu\Omega$cm. While the spin Hall conductivity is reduced by alloying, the relative resistivity increase surpasses the reduction of spin Hall conductivity and thereby enhances the spin Hall angle. We make use of this mechanism to improve the commonly used Pt-based spintronic THz emitter and demonstrate that an increase of 67% in the THz emission amplitude can be achieved between 20\% and 30\% Al in Pt. We show that the enhanced THz emission amplitude is driven by the enhanced multilayer impedance due to the larger resistivity.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Emergent spin Hall conductivity in Tantalum-Rhenium alloys

We investigate the spin Hall conductivity (SHC) of a composition series of a Ta-Re bcc solid solution. At approximately 60 at.% Ta the Ta-Re alloy features an SHC similar to bcc-W, while both endpoints of the compositional series have rather moderate SHC. The intermediate stoichiometries exhibit a substantial enhancement due to Fermi level tuning through the same band structure feature which gives bcc-W and $\beta$-W its large SHC. We provide experimental evidence for the enhancement of the SHC in the alloy via THz emission upon ultrafast laser excitation of Ta-Re/CoFeB bilayers. We demonstrate that a rigid band model derived from bcc-W and Fermi level tuning describes the experimental data with a similar accuracy as coherent potential approximation alloy calculations of the SHC.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Efficient Spintronic THz Emitters Without External Magnetic Field

We investigate the performance of state-of-the-art spintronic THz emitters (W or Ta)/CoFeB/Pt with non-magnetic underlayer deposited using oblique angle deposition. The THz emission amplitude in the presence or absence of an external magnetic field remains the same and remarkably stable over time. This stability is attributed to the enhanced uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in the ferromagnetic layer, achieved by oblique angle deposition of the underlying non-magnetic layer. Our findings could be used for the development of practical field-free emitters of linearly polarized THz radiation, potentially enabling novel applications in future THz technologies.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2024

OpenFMR: A low-cost open-source broadband ferromagnetic resonance spectrometer

We describe a broadband ferromagnetic resonance spectrometer for scientific and educational applications with a frequency range up to 30 GHz. It is built with low-cost components available off-the-shelf and utilizes 3D printed parts for sample holders and support structures, and requires little assembly. A PCB design for the grounded coplanar waveguide (GCPW) is presented and analysed. We further include a software suite for command-line or script driven data acqusition, a graphical user interface, and a graphical data analysis program. The capabilities of the system design are demonstrated with measurements on ferromagnetic thin films with a thickness of 1 nm. All designs and scripts are published under the GNU GPL v3.0 license.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

High-throughput techniques for measuring the spin Hall effect

The spin Hall effect in heavy-metal thin films is routinely employed to convert charge currents into transverse spin currents and can be used to exert torque on adjacent ferromagnets. Conversely, the inverse spin Hall effect is frequently used to detect spin currents by charge currents in spintronic devices up to the terahertz frequency range. Numerous techniques to measure the spin Hall effect or its inverse were introduced, most of which require extensive sample preparation by multi-step lithography. To enable rapid screening of materials in terms of charge-to-spin conversion, suitable high-throughput methods for measuring the spin Hall angle are required. Here, we compare two lithography-free techniques, terahertz emission spectroscopy and broadband ferromagnetic resonance, to standard harmonic Hall measurements and theoretical predictions using the binary-alloy series Au$_x$Pt$_{1-x}$ as benchmark system. Despite being highly complementary, we find that all three techniques yield a spin Hall angle with approximately the same $x$~dependence, which is also consistent with first-principles calculations. Quantitative discrepancies are discussed in terms of magnetization orientation and interfacial spin-memory loss.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Ultra-low switching current density in all-amorphous W-Hf / CoFeB / TaOx films

We study current-induced deterministic magnetization switching and domain wall motion via polar Kerr microscopy in all-amorphous W$_{66}$Hf$_{34}$/CoFeB/TaO$_\text{x}$ with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and large spin Hall angle. Investigations of magnetization switching as a function of in-plane assist field and current pulse-width yield switching current densities as low as $3\times 10^{9}$ A/m$^2$. We accredit this low switching current density to a low depinning current density, which was obtained from measurements of domain wall displacements upon current injection. This correlation is verified by investigations of a Ta/CoFeB/MgO/Ta reference sample, which showed critical current densities of at least one order of magnitude larger, respectively.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Improving thermal stability of MnN/CoFeB exchange bias systems by optimizing the Ta buffer layer

We investigated the influence of the Ta buffer layer on the thermal stability of polycrystalline Ta/ MnN/ CoFeB exchange bias systems, showing high exchange bias of about 1800 Oe at room temperature. The thermal stability of those trilayer systems is limited by nitrogen diffusion that occurs during annealing processes. Most of the nitrogen diffuses into the Ta buffer layer, which is necessary for good crystal growth of MnN and thus a crucial component of the exchange bias system. In order to improve the thermal stability, we prepared exchange bias stacks where we varied the Ta thickness to look for an optimum value that guarantees stable and high exchange over a broad temperature range. Our findings show that thin layers of 2-5 nm Ta indeed support stable exchange bias up to annealing temperatures of more than $550^{\circ}$C. Furthermore, we found that the introduction of a TaN$_{\text{x}}$ layer between MnN and Ta, acting as a barrier, can prevent nitrogen diffusion. However, our results show that those measures, even though being beneficial in terms of thermal stability, often lead to decreased crystallinity and thus lower the exchange bias.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Resistive contribution in electrical switching experiments with antiferromagnets

Recent research demonstrated the electrical switching of antiferromagnets via intrinsic spin-orbit torque or the spin Hall effect of an adjacent heavy metal layer. The electrical readout is typically realized by measuring the transverse anisotropic magnetoresistance at planar cross- or star-shaped devices with four or eight arms, respectively. Depending on the material, the current density necessary to switch the magnetic state can be large, often close to the destruction threshold of the device. We demonstrate that the resulting electrical stress changes the film resistivity locally and thereby breaks the fourfold rotational symmetry of the conductor. This symmetry breaking due to film inhomogeneity produces signals, that resemble the anisotropic magnetoresistance and is experimentally seen as a "saw-tooth"-shaped transverse resistivity. This artifact can persist over many repeats of the switching experiment and is not easily separable from the magnetic contribution. We discuss the origin of the artifact, elucidate the role of the film crystallinity, and propose approaches how to separate the resistive contribution from the magnetic contribution.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Spin-orbit torque induced electrical switching of antiferromagnetic MnN

Electrical switching and readout of antiferromagnets allows to exploit the unique properties of antiferromagnetic materials in nanoscopic electronic devices. Here we report experiments on the spin-orbit torque induced electrical switching of a polycrystalline, metallic antiferromagnet with low anisotropy and high Néel temperature. We demonstrate the switching in a Ta / MnN / Pt trilayer system, deposited by (reactive) magnetron sputtering. The dependence of switching amplitude, efficiency, and relaxation are studied with respect to the MnN film thickness, sample temperature, and current density. Our findings are consistent with a thermal activation model and resemble to a large extent previous measurements on CuMnAs and Mn$_2$Au, which exhibit similar switching characteristics due to an intrinsic spin-orbit torque.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Electrical Néel-order switching in magnetron-sputtered CuMnAs thin films

Antiferromagnetic materials as active components in spintronic devices promise insensitivity against external magnetic fields, the absence of own magnetic stray fields, and ultrafast dynamics at the picosecond time scale. Materials with certain crystal-symmetry show an intrinsic Néel-order spin-orbit torque that can efficiently switch the magnetic order of an antiferromagnet. The tetragonal variant of CuMnAs was shown to be electrically switchable by this intrinsic spin-orbit effect and its use in memory cells with memristive properties has been recently demonstrated for high-quality films grown with molecular beam epitaxy. Here, we demonstrate that the magnetic order of magnetron-sputtered CuMnAs films can also be manipulated by electrical current pulses. The switching efficiency and relaxation as a function of temperature, current density, and pulse width can be described by a thermal-activation model. Our findings demonstrate that CuMnAs can be fabricated with an industry-compatible deposition technique, which will accelerate the development cycle of devices based on this remarkable material.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Improved thermal stability in doped MnN/CoFe exchange bias systems

We investigated the influence of doping antiferromagnetic MnN in polycrystalline MnN/CoFe exchange bias systems, showing high exchange bias of up to 1800 Oe at room temperature. The thermal stability of those systems is limited by nitrogen diffusion that occurs during annealing processes. In order to improve the thermal stability, defect energies of elements throughout the periodic table substituting Mn were calculated via density functional theory. Elements calculated to have negative defect energies bind nitrogen stronger to the lattice and could be able to prevent diffusion. We prepared exchange bias stacks with doping concentrations of a few percent by (reactive) co-sputtering, testing doping elements with defect energies ranging from highly negative to slightly positive. We show that doping with elements calculated to have negative defect energies indeed improves the thermal stability. Y doped MnN layers with doping concentrations below 2% result in systems that show exchange bias fields higher than 1000 Oe for annealing temperatures up to 485° C.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗