Magnetization switching through giant spin-orbit torque in a magnetically doped topological insulator heterostructure.
Recent demonstrations of magnetization switching induced by in-plane current in heavy metal/ferromagnetic heterostructures (HMFHs) have drawn great attention to spin torques arising from large spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Given the intrinsic strong SOC, topological insulators (TIs) are expected to be promising candidates for exploring spin-orbit torque (SOT)-related physics. Here we demonstrate experimentally the magnetization switching through giant SOT induced by an in-plane current in a chromium-doped TI bilayer heterostructure. The critical current density required for switching is below 8.9 × 10(4) A cm(-2) at 1.9 K. Moreover, the SOT is calibrated by measuring the effective spin-orbit field using second-harmonic methods. The effective field to current ratio and the spin-Hall angle tangent are almost three orders of magnitude larger than those reported for HMFHs. The giant SOT and efficient current-induced magnetization switching exhibited by the bilayer heterostructure may lead to innovative spintronics applications such as ultralow power dissipation memory and logic devices.
1] Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA [2].
Yabin
Y
Fan
1] Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA [2].
Pramey
P
Upadhyaya
1] Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA [2].
Xufeng
X
Kou
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Murong
M
Lang
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
So
S
Takei
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Zhenxing
Z
Wang
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Jianshi
J
Tang
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Liang
L
He
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Li-Te
LT
Chang
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Mohammad
M
Montazeri
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Guoqiang
G
Yu
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Wanjun
W
Jiang
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Tianxiao
T
Nie
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Robert N
RN
Schwartz
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Yaroslav
Y
Tserkovnyak
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Kang L
KL
Wang