Spin orbit coupling controlled spin pumping effect

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that spin orbit coupling (SOC) can significantly tune key parameters like ESMC, SHC, and SDL in NM/ferromagnet systems, enhancing spin current generation and conversion for spintronic devices.

Contribution

It reveals how SOC strength in PdPt alloys can be used to control ESMC, SHC, and SDL, offering new avenues for optimizing spintronic device performance.

Findings

ESMC increases with higher Pt content in PdPt alloys.

SHC is notably enhanced by increasing SOC in PdPt alloys.

SDL decreases as heavier Pt atoms replace Pd, consistent with SOC-induced spin flip scattering.

Abstract

Effective spin mixing conductance (ESMC) across the nonmagnetic metal (NM)/ferromagnet interface, spin Hall conductivity (SHC) and spin diffusion length (SDL) in the NM layer govern the functionality and performance of pure spin current devices with spin pumping technique. We show that all three parameters can be tuned significantly by the spin orbit coupling (SOC) strength of the NM layer in systems consisting of ferromagnetic insulating Y3Fe5O12 layer and metallic Pd1-xPtx layer. Surprisingly, the ESMC is observed to increase significantly with x changing from 0 to 1.0. The SHC in PdPt alloys, dominated by the intrinsic term, is enhanced notably with increasing x. Meanwhile, the SDL is found to decrease when Pd atoms are replaced by heavier Pt atoms, validating the SOC induced spin flip scattering model in polyvalent PdPt alloys. The capabilities of both spin current generation and spin charge conversion are largely heightened via the SOC. These findings highlight the multifold tuning effects of the SOC in developing the new generation of spintronic devices.