Giant spin-orbit torque efficiency in all-epitaxial heterostructures

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates giant spin-orbit torque efficiency in all-epitaxial heterostructures, enabling energy-efficient magnetic switching with potential applications in spin-logic devices.

Contribution

It reports unprecedented spin-orbit field values in epitaxial heterostructures, highlighting surface states' role and demonstrating practical magnetization switching.

Findings

Giant spin-orbit field of 48.96 mT at 1 MA/cm² current density.

Efficiency increases with decreasing beta-W layer thickness.

Successful in-plane magnetization switching demonstrated.

Abstract

A large anti-damping spin-obit torque (SOT) efficiency in magnetic heterostructures is a prerequisite to realize energy efficient spin torque based magnetic memories and logic devices. The efficiency can be characterized in terms of the spin-orbit fields generated by anti-damping torques when an electric current is passed through the non-magnetic layer. We report a giant spin-orbit field of 48.96 (27.50) mT at an applied current density of 1 MAcm-2 in beta-W interfaced Co60Fe40 (Ni81Fe19)/TiN epitaxial structures due to an anti-damping like torque, which results in a magnetization auto-oscillation current density as low as 1.68(3.27) MAcm-2. The spin-orbit field value increases with decrease of beta-W layer thickness, which affirms that epitaxial surface states are responsible for the extraordinary large efficiency. SOT induced energy efficient in-plane magnetization switching in large 20x100 um2 structures has been demonstrated by Kerr microscopy and the findings are supported by results from micromagnetic simulations. The observed giant SOT efficiencies in the studied all-epitaxial heterostructures are comparable to values reported for topological insulators. These results confirm that by utilizing epitaxial material combinations an extraordinary large SOT efficiency can be achieved using semiconducting industry compatible 5d heavy metals, which provides immediate solutions for the realization of energy efficient spin-logic devices.