Modification of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya-Interaction-Stabilized Domain Wall Chirality by Driving Currents

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Spintronics

Background:

• Chirality of spin textures is crucial for spintronic devices.
• Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya-interaction (DMI) stabilizes chiral spin textures.
• Understanding DMI in multilayer systems is key for advanced magnetic memory and logic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure and analyze the chirality of DMI-stabilized spin textures in Ta|Co_{20}F_{60}B_{20}|MgO multilayers.
• To investigate the influence of current-induced spin-orbit torques on effective DMI.
• To compare current-driven and field-driven domain wall motion characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Experimental measurement of effective DMI using domain wall motion.
• Utilizing spin-orbit torques for current-induced domain wall motion.
• Employing magnetic fields for field-induced domain wall motion (without current).

Main Results:

• Observed a change in effective DMI magnitude under current-induced domain wall motion.
• Detected opposite domain wall chirality in current-induced motion compared to field-induced motion.
• Identified and termed the phenomenon as 'current-induced DMI'.

Conclusions:

• Current-induced spin-orbit torques significantly modify effective DMI and domain wall chirality.
• The findings support theoretical predictions of DMI modifications by spin currents.
• This work opens avenues for controlling chiral spin textures via electrical currents in spintronic devices.