Manipulation of magnetizations by spin-orbit torques

TL;DR

This paper reviews the recent advances in manipulating magnetization using spin-orbit torques, emphasizing their physical mechanisms, experimental progress, and potential applications in spintronics and memory devices.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the physics, recent experimental results, and future directions in the field of spin-orbit torque-induced magnetization control.

Findings

Spin-orbit torques enable efficient magnetization manipulation.

Recent experiments demonstrate effective control of ferromagnets and antiferromagnets.

Future prospects include advanced spintronics devices based on SOTs.

Abstract

The control of magnetization by electric current is a rapidly developing area motivated by a strong synergy between breakthrough basic research discoveries and industrial applications in the fields of magnetic recording, magnetic field sensors, spintronics and nonvolatile memories. In recent years, the discovery of the spin-orbit torque has opened a spectrum of opportunities to manipulate the magnetization efficiently. This article presents a review of the historical background and recent literature focusing on spin-orbit torques (SOTs), highlighting the most exciting new scientific results and suggesting promising future research directions. It starts with an introduction and overview of the underlying physics of spin-orbit coupling effects in bulk and at interfaces, then describes the use of SOTs to control ferromagnets and antiferromagnets. Finally, we summarize the prospects for the future developments of spintronics devices based on SOTs.