Novel Spin–Orbit Torque Generation at Room Temperature in an All‐Oxide Epitaxial La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/SrIrO3 System

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: Spin–orbit torques (SOTs) that arise from materials with large spin–orbit coupling offer a new pathway for energy‐efficient and fast magnetic information storage. SOTs in conventional heavy metals and topological insulators are explored extensively, while 5d transition metal oxides, which also host ions with strong spin–orbit coupling, are a relatively new territory in the field of spintronics. An all‐oxide, SrTiO3 (STO)//La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO)/SrIrO3 (SIO) heterostructure with lattice‐matched crystal structure is synthesized, exhibiting an epitaxial and atomically sharp interface between the ferromagnetic LSMO and the high spin–orbit‐coupled metal SIO. Spin‐torque ferromagnetic resonance (ST‐FMR) is used to probe the effective magnetization and the SOT efficiency in LSMO/SIO heterostructures grown on STO substrates. Remarkably, epitaxial LSMO/SIO exhibits a large SOT efficiency, ξ|| = 1, while retaining a reasonably low shunting factor and increasing the effective magnetization of LSMO by ≈50%. The findings highlight the significance of epitaxy as a powerful tool to achieve a high SOT efficiency, explore the rich physics at the epitaxial interface, and open up a new pathway for designing next‐generation energy‐efficient spintronic devices.

Source: Advanced Materials

DOI: 10.1002/adma.202008269

Authors: Xiaoxi Huang, Shehrin Sayed, Joseph Mittelstaedt, Sandhya Susarla, Saba Karimeddiny, Lucas Caretta, Hongrui Zhang, Vladimir A. Stoica, Tanay Gosavi, Farzad Mahfouzi, Qilong Sun, Peter Ercius, Nicholas Kioussis, Sayeef Salahuddin, Daniel C. Ralph, Ramamoorthy Ramesh

Institutions: University of California, Berkeley, Cornell University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, Intel (United States), California State University, Northridge

Language: English

Topic: Magnetic properties of thin films

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, Office of the President, University of California, Division of Materials Research, Basic Energy Sciences, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

OpenAlex ID: W3158106950