A spin-orbit torque switching scheme with collinear magnetic easy axis and current configuration

Spin-orbit torque, a torque brought about by in-plane current via the spin-orbit interactions in heavy-metal/ferromagnet nanostructures, provides a new pathway to switch the magnetization direction. Although there are many recent studies, they all build on one of two structures that have the easy ax...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNature nanotechnology Vol. 11; no. 7; pp. 621 - 625
Main Authors Fukami, S, Anekawa, T, Zhang, C, Ohno, H
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Nature Publishing Group 01.07.2016
Subjects
Construction
Devices
Electromagnetism
Magnetization
Nanostructure
Nanotechnology
Physics
Switches
Switching
Tantalum
Torque
Japan
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Summary:Spin-orbit torque, a torque brought about by in-plane current via the spin-orbit interactions in heavy-metal/ferromagnet nanostructures, provides a new pathway to switch the magnetization direction. Although there are many recent studies, they all build on one of two structures that have the easy axis of a nanomagnet lying orthogonal to the current, that is, along the z or y axes. Here, we present a new structure with the third geometry, that is, with the easy axis collinear with the current (along the x axis). We fabricate a three-terminal device with a Ta/CoFeB/MgO-based stack and demonstrate the switching operation driven by the spin-orbit torque due to Ta with a negative spin Hall angle. Comparisons with different geometries highlight the previously unknown mechanisms of spin-orbit torque switching. Our work offers a new avenue for exploring the physics of spin-orbit torque switching and its application to spintronics devices.
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ISSN:1748-3387
1748-3395
DOI:10.1038/NNANO.2016.29