The central role of tilted anisotropy for field-free spin–orbit torque switching of perpendicular magnetization
Abstract The discovery of efficient magnetization switching upon device activation by spin Hall effect (SHE)-induced spin–orbit torque (SOT) changed the course of magnetic random-access memory (MRAM) research and development. However, for electronic systems with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PM...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2024-01-01
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| Series: | NPG Asia Materials |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41427-023-00521-9 |
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| author | Chen-Yu Hu Wei-De Chen Yan-Ting Liu Chao-Chung Huang Chi-Feng Pai |
| author_facet | Chen-Yu Hu Wei-De Chen Yan-Ting Liu Chao-Chung Huang Chi-Feng Pai |
| author_sort | Chen-Yu Hu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The discovery of efficient magnetization switching upon device activation by spin Hall effect (SHE)-induced spin–orbit torque (SOT) changed the course of magnetic random-access memory (MRAM) research and development. However, for electronic systems with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), the use of SOT is still hampered by the necessity of a longitudinal magnetic field to break magnetic symmetry and achieve deterministic switching. In this work, we demonstrate that robust and tunable field-free current-driven SOT switching of perpendicular magnetization can be controlled by the growth protocol in Pt-based magnetic heterostructures. We further elucidate that such growth-dependent symmetry breaking originates from the laterally tilted magnetic anisotropy of the ferromagnetic layer with PMA, a phenomenon that has been largely neglected in previous studies. We show experimentally and in simulation that in a PMA system with tilted anisotropy, the deterministic field-free switching exhibits a conventional SHE-induced damping-like torque feature, and the resulting current-induced effective field shows a nonlinear dependence on the applied current density. This relationship could be potentially misattributed to an unconventional SOT origin. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-23ee7870d7c74ac286de7ab8e1a3ac1d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1884-4057 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | NPG Asia Materials |
| spelling | doaj-art-23ee7870d7c74ac286de7ab8e1a3ac1d2025-01-19T12:28:44ZengNature PortfolioNPG Asia Materials1884-40572024-01-0116111010.1038/s41427-023-00521-9The central role of tilted anisotropy for field-free spin–orbit torque switching of perpendicular magnetizationChen-Yu Hu0Wei-De Chen1Yan-Ting Liu2Chao-Chung Huang3Chi-Feng Pai4Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan UniversityDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan UniversityDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan UniversityDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan UniversityDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan UniversityAbstract The discovery of efficient magnetization switching upon device activation by spin Hall effect (SHE)-induced spin–orbit torque (SOT) changed the course of magnetic random-access memory (MRAM) research and development. However, for electronic systems with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), the use of SOT is still hampered by the necessity of a longitudinal magnetic field to break magnetic symmetry and achieve deterministic switching. In this work, we demonstrate that robust and tunable field-free current-driven SOT switching of perpendicular magnetization can be controlled by the growth protocol in Pt-based magnetic heterostructures. We further elucidate that such growth-dependent symmetry breaking originates from the laterally tilted magnetic anisotropy of the ferromagnetic layer with PMA, a phenomenon that has been largely neglected in previous studies. We show experimentally and in simulation that in a PMA system with tilted anisotropy, the deterministic field-free switching exhibits a conventional SHE-induced damping-like torque feature, and the resulting current-induced effective field shows a nonlinear dependence on the applied current density. This relationship could be potentially misattributed to an unconventional SOT origin.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41427-023-00521-9 |
| spellingShingle | Chen-Yu Hu Wei-De Chen Yan-Ting Liu Chao-Chung Huang Chi-Feng Pai The central role of tilted anisotropy for field-free spin–orbit torque switching of perpendicular magnetization NPG Asia Materials |
| title | The central role of tilted anisotropy for field-free spin–orbit torque switching of perpendicular magnetization |
| title_full | The central role of tilted anisotropy for field-free spin–orbit torque switching of perpendicular magnetization |
| title_fullStr | The central role of tilted anisotropy for field-free spin–orbit torque switching of perpendicular magnetization |
| title_full_unstemmed | The central role of tilted anisotropy for field-free spin–orbit torque switching of perpendicular magnetization |
| title_short | The central role of tilted anisotropy for field-free spin–orbit torque switching of perpendicular magnetization |
| title_sort | central role of tilted anisotropy for field free spin orbit torque switching of perpendicular magnetization |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41427-023-00521-9 |
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