Effective reduction of critical current for current-induced magnetization switching by a Ru layer insertion in an exchange-biased spin valve.
Recently, it has been predicted that a spin-polarized electrical current perpendicular to plane directly flowing through a magnetic element can induce magnetization switching through spin-momentum transfer. In this Letter, the first observation of current-induced magnetization switching (CIMS) in exchange-biased spin valves (ESPVs) at room temperature is reported. The ESPVs show the CIMS behavior under a sweeping dc current with a very high critical current density. It is demonstrated that a thin ruthenium (Ru) layer inserted between a free layer and a top electrode effectively reduces the critical current densities for the CIMS. An "inverse" CIMS behavior is also observed when the thickness of the free layer increases.
Jiang
Y
Y
Department of Materials Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, and CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Sendai 980-8579, Japan. elejyong@hotmail.com
Abe
S
S
Ochiai
T
T
Nozaki
T
T
Hirohata
A
A
Tezuka
N
N
Inomata
K
K