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Spin Hall magnetoresistance induced by a nonequilibrium proximity effect
H Nakayama1, M Althammer2, Y-T Chen3
1Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan and Laboratory for Nanoelectronics and Spintronics, Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan.
Physical Review Letters
|August 29, 2014
Summary
We discovered spin Hall magnetoresistance in platinum-yttrium iron garnet bilayers. This effect, where platinum
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Spintronics
Background:
- Investigating the interplay between magnetic insulators and heavy metals is crucial for spintronic device development.
- Understanding interfacial effects in heterostructures is key to controlling spin-dependent transport phenomena.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate anisotropic magnetoresistance in platinum (Pt)|yttrium iron garnet (Y3Fe5O12) bilayers.
- To elucidate the underlying physical mechanism responsible for the observed magnetoresistance.
- To introduce and define a new phenomenon termed 'spin Hall magnetoresistance'.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of Pt|Y3Fe5O12 bilayers with varying interface properties, including the insertion of a copper (Cu) spacer layer.
- Electrical resistance measurements of the Pt layer as a function of applied magnetic field and temperature.
- Analysis of spin-dependent transport phenomena, specifically the direct and inverse spin Hall effects.
Main Results:
- Anisotropic magnetoresistance was observed in Pt|Y3Fe5O12 bilayers, where the Pt layer's resistance correlated with the Y3Fe5O12 magnetization direction.
- The observed effect persisted even with a Cu spacer, ruling out contributions from induced equilibrium magnetization at the interface.
- Experimental evidence points to the concerted action of the direct and inverse spin Hall effects as the origin of the phenomenon.
Conclusions:
- The study establishes the existence of spin Hall magnetoresistance in Pt|Y3Fe5O12 heterostructures.
- This phenomenon provides a novel route for electrical detection of magnetization dynamics in magnetic insulators.
- Spin Hall magnetoresistance offers potential applications in advanced spintronic devices and magnetic sensors.
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