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

Xue, Fen; Lin, Shy-Jay; Song, Mingyuan; Hwang, William; Klewe, Christoph; Lee, Chien-Min; Turgut, Emrah; Shafer, Padraic; Vailionis, Arturas; Huang, Yen-Lin; Tsai, Wilman; Bao, Xinyu; Wang, Shan X.

doi:10.1038/s41467-023-39649-1

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

Journal Article · Tue Jul 04 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · Nature Communications

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39649-1· OSTI ID:2229345

Xue, Fen ^[1]; Lin, Shy-Jay ^[2]; Song, Mingyuan ^[2]; ^[1]; ^[3]; Lee, Chien-Min ^[2]; Turgut, Emrah ^[2]; ^[3]; ^[4]; ^[2]; Tsai, Wilman ^[1]; Bao, Xinyu ^[2]; ^[1]

Stanford University, CA (United States)
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Hsinchu (Taiwan)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Advanced Light Source (ALS)
Stanford University, CA (United States); Kaunas University of Technology (Lithuania)

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.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); TSMC University Joint Development Program (JDP); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 2229345

Journal Information:: Nature Communications, Journal Name: Nature Communications Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 14; ISSN 2041-1723

Publisher:: Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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