Magnon-mediated spin Hall magnetoresistance and unidirectional magnetoresistance in Pt/NiO/NiFe structures

• Published in: Journal of applied physics Vol. 135; no. 6
• Main Authors: Wang, Bo, Zhang, Quanzhi, Guo, Yonghai, Li, Wangda, Zhang, Bo, Cao, Jiangwei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 14.02.2024
• ISSN: 0021-8979; 1089-7550
• DOI: 10.1063/5.0186776

Spin–orbit torque provides an efficient strategy for electric manipulation of magnetization. However, Joule heat accompanying with electron motion in the electron-mediated spin current result in unavoidable power dissipation. Moreover, the spin diffusion length in electron-mediated spin current is relatively short, preventing the transmission of spin information over long distances. Magnon-mediated spin current, without moving electrons, can be an excellent alternative to the conventional spin current. Magnon-mediated transfer torque effect has been reported in several previous works. Here, we report the magnon-mediated spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) and unidirectional magnetoresistance (UMR) in Pt/NiO/NiFe structures. The significant SMR and UMR were observed in the samples with the NiO thickness up to 60 nm, demonstrating the efficient transmission of magnon-mediated spin current over long distances in the NiO layer. In addition, we observed current-induced in-plane magnetization switching in the NiFe layer via the UMR measurement. These results demonstrated the possibility for developing the efficient spintronic devices operated by magnons.