Inductive detection of fieldlike and dampinglike ac inverse spin-orbit torques in ferromagnet/normal-metal bilayers

Published

March 15, 2018

Author(s)

Andy Berger, Eric R. Edwards, Hans T. Nembach, Justin M. Shaw, Alexy D. Karenowska, Mathias Weiler, Thomas J. Silva

Abstract

Phenomena that result from strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC) at ferromagnet/normal metal (FM/NM) interfaces hold great promise for the development of efficient and scalable spintronic devices. SOC drives non-equilibrium spin-charge conversion, manifest as both current-driven spin torque [1,2] and spin precession-driven current [3-6]. SOC also underlies the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) [7,8]. While efficient spin-charge conversion and large DMI often coincide, e.g. Refs. [9,10], a causal connection between these two phenomena has not yet been experimentally established. It was recently proposed that inter-facial DMI generates a Rashba-Edelstein effect (REE) [11], whereby charge current exerts a field-like torque at the FM/NM interface. The theory predicts a simple quantitative relation between the DMI and the REE. By use of a powerful new microwave spectroscopy method to detect inverse spin-charge conversion processes in FM/NM bi-layers, we demonstrate that the magnitude of the REE is in good agreement with the theoretically predicted value based on the previously measured value of DMI in identical bilayers [12].

Citation

Nature Physics

Volume

97

Issue

11

Pub Type

Journals

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DOI Link

Citation

Berger, A. , Edwards, E. , Nembach, H. , Shaw, J. , Karenowska, A. , Weiler, M. and Silva, T. (2018), Inductive detection of fieldlike and dampinglike ac inverse spin-orbit torques in ferromagnet/normal-metal bilayers, Nature Physics, [online], https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.97.094407L (Accessed October 6, 2025)