Switching of a single ferromagnetic layer driven by spin Hall effect

TL;DR

This paper investigates the magnetization switching in thin ferromagnetic layers on heavy metals driven by spin Hall effect, revealing complex nucleation patterns like magnetic bubbles and vortexes through micromagnetic simulations.

Contribution

It provides a detailed micromagnetic analysis of magnetization reversal mechanisms induced by spin Hall effect, highlighting the nucleation of complex magnetic structures.

Findings

Magnetization reversal involves nucleation of magnetic bubbles and vortexes.

Reversal mechanisms depend on the magnetic configuration (perpendicular or in-plane).

Simulations match experimental observations of switching phenomena.

Abstract

The magnetization switching of a thin ferromagnetic layer placed on top of a heavy metal (such as Pt, Ta or W) driven by an in-plane current has been observed in recent experiments. The magnetization dynamics of these processes is studied in a full micromagnetic framework which takes into account the transfer-torque from spin Hall effect due to the spin-orbit coupling. Simulations indicate that the reversal occurs via nucleation of complex magnetization patterns. In particular, magnetic bubbles appear during the reversal of the magnetization in the perpendicular configuration while for the in-plane configuration, nucleation of vortexes are observed.