Spin-Orbit Torques in ferrimagnetic GdFeCo Alloys

TL;DR

This study investigates spin-orbit torque switching in ferrimagnetic GdFeCo alloys, revealing that switching direction correlates with total magnetization despite transport measurements being sensitive only to the transition metal sublattice.

Contribution

It demonstrates that the sign of spin-orbit torque-driven switching depends on total magnetization, providing new insights into angular momentum transfer in ferrimagnetic materials.

Findings

Switching follows the same handedness relative to total magnetization in both TM-rich and RE-rich samples.

Reversal of switching handedness occurs when considering the TM magnetization alone.

Transport measurements like anomalous Hall effect are sensitive only to the transition metal magnetization.

Abstract

The spin-orbit torque switching of ferrimagnetic Gd$_x$(Fe$_{90}$Co$_{10}$)$_{100-x}$ films was studied for both transition metal (TM)-rich and rare earth (RE)-rich configurations. The spin-orbit torque driven magnetization switching follows the same handedness in TM-rich and RE-rich samples with respect to the total magnetization, but the handedness of the switching is reversed with respect to the TM magnetization. This indicates that the sign of the spin-orbit-torque-driven magnetic switching follows the total magnetization, although transport based techniques such as anomalous Hall effect are only sensitive to the transition metal magnetization. These results provide important insight into the physics of spin angular momentum transfer in materials with antiferromagnetically coupled sublattices.