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Complementary spin-Hall and inverse spin-galvanic effect torques in a ferromagnet/semiconductor bilayer.


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Authors

Skinner, TD 
Olejník, K 
Cunningham, LK 
Kurebayashi, H 
Campion, RP 

Abstract

Recently discovered relativistic spin torques induced by a lateral current at a ferromagnet/paramagnet interface are a candidate spintronic technology for a new generation of electrically controlled magnetic memory devices. The focus of our work is to experimentally disentangle the perceived two model physical mechanisms of the relativistic spin torques, one driven by the spin-Hall effect and the other one by the inverse spin-galvanic effect. Here, we show a vector analysis of the torques in a prepared epitaxial transition-metal ferromagnet/semiconductor-paramagnet single-crystal structure by means of the all-electrical ferromagnetic resonance technique. By choice of our structure in which the semiconductor paramagnet has a Dresselhaus crystal inversion asymmetry, the system is favourable for separating the torques due to the inverse spin-galvanic effect and spin-Hall effect mechanisms into the field-like and antidamping-like components, respectively. Since they contribute to distinct symmetry torque components, the two microscopic mechanisms do not compete but complement each other in our system.

Description

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from NPG at http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2015/150331/ncomms7730/abs/ncomms7730.html.

Keywords

Physical sciences, Applied physics, Nanotechnology, Condensed matter

Journal Title

Nat Commun

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2041-1723
2041-1723

Volume Title

6

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Sponsorship
The authors acknowledge support from EU European Research Council (ERC) advanced grant no. 268066, from the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic grant no. LM2011026, from the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic grant no. 14-37427G and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Praemium Academiae. A.J.F. acknowledges support from a Hitachi research fellowship. H.K. acknowledges financial support from the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).