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Time-resolved detection of spin–orbit torque switching of magnetization and exchange bias

Nature Electronics volume 5, pages 840–848 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

Current-induced magnetization switching driven by spin–orbit torques on sub-nanosecond timescales could be used to create fast and low-power spintronic devices. The time-resolved detection and analysis of switching trajectories in ferromagnet/antiferromagnet exchange-biased structures are the key to designing spin–orbit torque devices with high speed, but insight remains limited. Here we report the time-resolved detection of spin–orbit torque switching of the magnetization and exchange bias in platinum/cobalt/iridium–manganese heterostructures. Using time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr microscopy, combined with micromagnetic simulations, we show that the ferromagnets, as well as interfacial antiferromagnetic spins and exchange bias, can be partially switched by sub-nanosecond current pulses, which allows the switching probabilities to be flexibly controlled at multiple levels. We also show that the spin–orbit-torque-induced switching of the exchange bias, which intimately depends on the current density, can stabilize multilevelled magnetization switching within sub-nanosecond current pulses.

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Fig. 1: Experimental setup and time-resolved SOT switching.
Fig. 2: Reversal process of magnetization as a function of delay time.
Fig. 3: Quasi-static-current-induced magnetization reversal with a sequence of different external Hx values.
Fig. 4: Reversal of exchange bias by nanosecond current pulses.
Fig. 5: Micromagnetic simulations of the time-resolved SOT switching process.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

Y.W. is grateful for the support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 62174095), German Science Foundation (DFG) via SFB 1277 and the Natural Science Foundation of Beijing Municipality (grant no. JQ20010). This work was partially supported by the Advanced Embedded Memory with 3 Dimensional Integrated Circuits (MOST110-2218-E-492-004-MBK) from Angstrom Semiconductor Initiative of Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute, Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan.

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  1. These authors contributed equally: Yuyan Wang, Takuya Taniguchi.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing National Research Center for Information Science and Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

    Yuyan Wang, Huaqiang Wu & Qionghai Dai

  2. Department of Physics, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany

    Yuyan Wang, Takuya Taniguchi, Daniel Zicchino, Andreas Nickl, Jan Sahliger & Christian H. Back

  3. School of Integrated Circuits, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

    Yuyan Wang & Huaqiang Wu

  4. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan

    Po-Hung Lin & Chih-Huang Lai

  5. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

    Cheng Song

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Contributions

C.H.B. and Y.W. planned the study. Y.W. fabricated the devices and collected and analysed the data. T.T. and D.Z. carried out the micromagnetic calculations. P.-H.L. and C.-H.L. grew the samples and performed the magnetization measurements. Y.W., A.N. and J.S. carried out the MOKE measurements. Y.W. wrote the manuscript with input from T.T., C.H.B., C.S., H.W. and Q.D. All the authors discussed the results.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yuyan Wang or Christian H. Back.

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Nature Electronics thanks Robert Carpenter and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Supplementary Notes 1–7, Figs. 1–18 and discussion.

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Wang, Y., Taniguchi, T., Lin, PH. et al. Time-resolved detection of spin–orbit torque switching of magnetization and exchange bias. Nat Electron 5, 840–848 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41928-022-00870-3

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