• 文献标题:   Tunable magnetotransport in Fe/hBN/graphene/hBN/Pt(Fe) epitaxial multilayers
  • 文献类型:   Article
  • 作  者:   UKPONG AM
  • 作者关键词:   van der waals magnetic multiayer, spin current, spin transfer torque, magnetization swicthing, linear response approximation, van der waals density functional theory, tunneling magnetoresistance
  • 出版物名称:   JOURNAL OF PHYSICS DAPPLIED PHYSICS
  • ISSN:   0022-3727 EI 1361-6463
  • 通讯作者地址:   Univ KwaZulu Natal
  • 被引频次:   2
  • DOI:   10.1088/1361-6463/aaa881
  • 出版年:   2018

▎ 摘  要

Theoretical and computational analysis of the magnetotransport properties and spin-transfer torque field-induced switching of magnetization density in vertically-stacked multilayers is presented. Using epitaxially-capped free layers of Pt and Fe, atom-resolved magnetic moments and spin-transfer torques are computed at finite bias. The calculations are performed within linear response approximation to the spin-density reformulation of the van der Waals density functional theory. Dynamical spin excitations are computed as a function of a spintransfer torque induced magnetic field along the magnetic easy axis, and the corresponding spin polarization perpendicular to the easy axis is obtained. Bias-dependent giant anisotropic magnetoresistance of up to 3200% is obtained in the nonmagnetic-metal-capped Fe/hBN/graphene/hBN/Pt multilayer architecture. Since this specific heterostructure is not yet fabricated and characterized, the predicted high performance has not been demonstrated experimentally. Nevertheless, similar calculations performed on the Fe/hBN/Co stack show that the tunneling magnetoresistance obtained at the Fermi-level is in excellent agreement with results of recent magnetotransport measurements on magnetic tunnel junctions that contain the monolayer hBN tunnel region. The magnitude of the spin-transfer torque is found to increase as the tunneling spin current increases, and this activates the magnetization switching process due to increased charge accumulation. This mechanism causes substantial spin backflow, which manifests as rapid undulations in the bias-dependent tunneling spin currents. The implication of these findings on the design of nanoscale spintronic devices with spintransfer torque tunable magnetization density is discussed. Insights derived from this study are expected to enhance the prospects for developing and integrating artificially assembled van der Waals multilayer heterostructures as the preferred material platform for efficient engineering of spin switches for spintronic applications.