Article abstract

Nature Materials 6, 447 - 453 (2007)
Published online: 29 April 2007 | doi:10.1038/nmat1905

Subject Categories: Electronic materials | Magnetic materials | Nanoscale materials

Spin-torque oscillator using a perpendicular polarizer and a planar free layer

D. Houssameddine1,4, U. Ebels1,4, B. Delaët2,4, B. Rodmacq1, I. Firastrau1,2,3, F. Ponthenier2, M. Brunet2,5, C. Thirion1, J.-P. Michel2, L. Prejbeanu-Buda1, M.-C. Cyrille2, O. Redon2 & B. Dieny1

Spintronics materials have recently been considered for radio-frequency devices such as oscillators by exploiting the transfer of spin angular momentum between a spin-polarized electrical current and the magnetic nanostructure it passes through. While previous spin-transfer oscillators (STOs) were based on in-plane magnetized structures, here we present the realization of an STO that contains a perpendicular spin current polarizer combined with an in-plane magnetized free layer. This device is characterized by high-frequency oscillations of the free-layer magnetization, consistent with out-of-plane steady-state precessions induced at the threshold current by a spin-transfer torque from perpendicularly polarized electrons. The results are summarized in static and dynamic current–field state diagrams and will be of importance for the design of STOs with enhanced output signals.

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  1. SPINTEC URA 2512, C.E.A/DRFMC - C.N.R.S, CEA-Grenoble, 17 rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble, France
  2. LIMN/DIHS/LETI CEA-Grenoble, 17 rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble, France
  3. Transilvania University of Brasov, 29 Bulevardul Eroilor, R-500036 Brasov, Romania
  4. These authors contributed equally to this work
  5. Present address: LAAS - CNRS, 7 av du colonel Roche, 31077 Toulouse Cedex 4, France

Correspondence to: U. Ebels1,4 e-mail: ursula.ebels@cea.fr

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