Field-free spin-orbit torque switching assisted by in-plane unconventional spin torque in ultrathin [Pt/Co]N

Fen Xue (), Shy-Jay Lin, Mingyuan Song, William Hwang, Christoph Klewe, Chien-Min Lee, Emrah Turgut, Padraic Shafer, Arturas Vailionis, Yen-Lin Huang, Wilman Tsai, Xinyu Bao and Shan X. Wang ()
Additional contact information
Fen Xue: Stanford University
Shy-Jay Lin: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
Mingyuan Song: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
William Hwang: Stanford University
Christoph Klewe: Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Chien-Min Lee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
Emrah Turgut: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
Padraic Shafer: Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Arturas Vailionis: Stanford University
Yen-Lin Huang: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
Wilman Tsai: Stanford University
Xinyu Bao: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
Shan X. Wang: Stanford University

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Electrical manipulation of magnetization without an external magnetic field is critical for the development of advanced non-volatile magnetic-memory technology that can achieve high memory density and low energy consumption. Several recent studies have revealed efficient out-of-plane spin-orbit torques (SOTs) in a variety of materials for field-free type-z SOT switching. Here, we report on the corresponding type-x configuration, showing significant in-plane unconventional spin polarizations from sputtered ultrathin [Pt/Co]N, which are either highly textured on single crystalline MgO substrates or randomly textured on SiO2 coated Si substrates. The unconventional spin currents generated in the low-dimensional Co films result from the strong orbital magnetic moment, which has been observed by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurement. The x-polarized spin torque efficiency reaches up to −0.083 and favors complete field-free switching of CoFeB magnetized along the in-plane charge current direction. Micromagnetic simulations additionally demonstrate its lower switching current than type-y switching, especially in narrow current pulses. Our work provides additional pathways for electrical manipulation of spintronic devices in the pursuit of high-speed, high-density, and low-energy non-volatile memory.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39649-1

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