Magnetization damping in polycrystalline Co ultra-thin films: Evidence for non-local effects

TL;DR

This study investigates magnetization damping in ultra-thin polycrystalline Co films, revealing non-local effects like spin pumping and the influence of adjacent layers, especially Pt, on damping enhancement.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence for non-local damping contributions in ultra-thin Co films, highlighting the role of spin sinks like Pt layers in damping enhancement.

Findings

Damping increases as Co thickness decreases with Pt layers present.

Pt layers as thin as 1.5 nm significantly enhance damping.

Non-local effects dominate damping in Co layers thinner than 4 nm with Pt.

Abstract

The magnetic properties and magnetization dynamics of polycrystalline ultra-thin Co layers were investigated using a broadband ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) technique at room temperature. A variable thickness (1 nm $\leq t \leq$ 10 nm) Co layer is sandwiched between 10 nm thick Cu layers (10 nm Cu| t Co|10 nm Cu), while materials in contact with the Cu outer interfaces are varied to determine their influence on the magnetization damping. The resonance field and the linewidth were studied for in-plane magnetic fields in field swept experiments at a fixed frequency, from 4 to 25 GHz. The Co layers have a lower magnetization density than the bulk, and an interface contribution to the magnetic anisotropy normal to the film plane. The Gilbert damping, as determined from the frequency dependence of the linewidth, increases with decreasing Co layer thickness for films with outer Pt layers. This enhancement is not observed in structures without Pt layers. The result can be understood in terms of a non-local contribution to the damping due to spin pumping from Co through the Cu layer and spin relaxation in Pt layers. Pt layers just 1.5 nm thick are found to be sufficient to enhance the damping and thus act as efficient "spin-sinks". In structures with Pt outer layers, this non-local contribution to the damping becomes predominant when the Co layer is thinner than 4 nm.