Magnetization switching process by dual spin-orbit torque in interlayer exchange-coupled systems

増田 啓人*; 山根 結太*; 関 剛斎*; Raab, K.*; 土肥 昂尭*; Modak, R.*; 内田 健一*; 家田 淳一; Klui, M.*; 高梨 弘毅

Applied Physics Letters, 122(16), p.162402_1 - 162402_7, 2023/04

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0140328

We report current-induced magnetization switching in Pt/Co/Ir/Co/Pt multilayers with different Ir layer thicknesses (), where the perpendicularly magnetized Co layers are coupled ferromagnetically or antiferromagnetically through an interlayer exchange coupling and are sandwiched by the Pt spin Hall layers. The domain structures formed during switching vary depending on the magnetization alignment, i.e., ferromagnetically coupled or antiferromagnetically coupled configuration. These results clarify the macroscopic picture of switching process for interlayer exchange-coupled systems. The local picture of the switching process is also examined by a numerical calculation based on a macrospin model, which reveals the switching dynamics triggered by dual spin-orbit torque for both antiferromagnetically and ferromagnetically coupled cases. The numerical calculation shows that the dual spin-orbit torque from the two Pt layers effectively acts on the two Co layers not only for the antiferromagnetically coupled case but also for the ferromagnetically coupled one. Our findings deepen the under- standing of the switching mechanism in a magnetic multilayer and provide an avenue to design spintronic devices with more efficient spin-orbit torque switching.

Shapiro steps in charge-density-wave states driven by ultrasound

森 道康; 前川 禎通

Applied Physics Letters, 122(4), p.042202_1 - 042202_5, 2023/01

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0132454

We show that ultrasound can induce the Shapiro steps (SS) in the charge-density-wave (CDW) state. When ultrasound with frequency and a dc voltage are applied, the SS occur at the current with integer . Even and odd multiples of SS are represented by two couplings between the CDW and ultrasound. Although an ac voltage bias with frequency induces the SS at , the ultrasound bias enhances the odd multiples more strongly than the even ones. This is the difference between the ultrasound and the ac voltage. Since the SS cause abrupt peaks in the , the extreme changes in the curve will be applied to a very sensitive ultrasound detector.

Electrical properties and energy band alignment of SiO/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor structures fabricated on N-polar GaN(000) substrates

溝端 秀聡*; 冨ヶ原 一樹*; 野崎 幹人*; 小林 拓真*; 吉越 章隆; 細井 卓治*; 志村 考功*; 渡部 平司*

Applied Physics Letters, 121(6), p.062104_1 - 062104_6, 2022/08

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0095468

N極性GaN(000)基板上に作製したSiO/GaN MOS構造の界面特性とエネルギーバンドアライメントを、電気測定と放射光X線光電子分光法を用いて調べた。さらに、得られた結果をGa極性GaN(0001)上のSiO/GaN MOS構造の特性と比較した。SiO/GaN(000)構造はGaN(0001)基板上に作製した構造よりも熱的に不安定であることがわかった。しかし、絶縁膜堆積後アニールの条件を最適化することにより、SiO/GaN(000)構造でも優れた電気特性が得られた。一方で、SiO/GaN(000)構造の伝導帯オフセットがSiO/GaN(0001)構造よりも小さく、これによるゲートリーク電流の増大が見られた。以上のことから、MOSデバイスの作製においてN極性GaN(000)基板の利用には注意を要することを明らかにした。

Observation of domain structure in non-collinear antiferromagnetic MnSn thin films by magneto-optical Kerr effect

内村 友宏*; Yoon, J.-Y.*; 佐藤 佑磨*; 竹内 祐太郎*; 金井 駿*; 武智 涼太*; 岸 桂輔*; 山根 結太*; DuttaGupta, S.*; 家田 淳一; et al.

Applied Physics Letters, 120(17), p.172405_1 - 172405_5, 2022/04

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0089355

We perform a hysteresis-loop measurement and domain imaging for -oriented -MnSn thin films using magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) and compare it with the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) measurement. We obtain a large Kerr rotation angle of 10 mdeg., comparable with bulk single-crystal MnSn. The composition dependence of AHE and MOKE shows a similar trend, suggesting the same origin, i.e., the non-vanishing Berry curvature in the momentum space. Magnetic domain observation at the saturated state shows that x dependence of AHE and MOKE is explained by an amount of reversible area that crucially depends on the crystalline structure of the film. Furthermore, in-depth observation of the reversal process reveals that the reversal starts with nucleation of sub-micrometer-scale domains dispersed in the film, followed by a domain expansion, where the domain wall preferentially propagates along the direction. Our study provides a basic understanding of the spatial evolution of the reversal of chiral-spin structure in non-collinear antiferromagnetic thin films.

Determination of site occupancy of boron in 6H-SiC by multiple-wavelength neutron holography

林 好一*; Lederer, M.*; 福本 陽平*; 後藤 雅司*; 山本 裕太*; 八方 直久*; 原田 正英; 稲村 泰弘; 及川 健一; 大山 研司*; et al.

Applied Physics Letters, 120(13), p.132101_1 - 132101_6, 2022/03

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0080895

The local structure around boron doped in a 6H-type silicon carbide (SiC) was investigated using neutron holography. Three dimensional atomic images reconstructed from multiple-wavelength holograms revealed the boron substitution for both silicon and carbon. To determine the boron locations accurately, we calculated holograms with varying occupancies of six different sites and fitted the image intensities with those obtained from the experimental holograms by the steepest descent method. As a result, it was found that boron atoms were selectively located at the Si-C-cubic site layer. Furthermore, boundaries right above the boron locations were suggested from the absence of atomic images in the upper region of the reconstruction.

Martensitic transformation in CrCoNi medium-entropy alloy at cryogenic temperature

Naeem, M.*; Zhou, H.*; He, H.*; Harjo S.; 川崎 卓郎; Lan, S.*; Wu, Z.*; Zhu, Y.*; Wang, X.-L.*

Applied Physics Letters, 119(13), p.131901_1 - 131901_7, 2021/09

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0067268

We investigated the in situ deformation behavior of the CrCoNi medium-entropy alloy at a cryogenic temperature of 140 K and compared it with deformation at room temperature. The sample exhibited higher strength and larger ductility at the cryogenic temperature. The CrCoNi alloy remained single-phase face-centered cubic at room temperature, while deformation at 140 K resulted in a martensitic transformation to the hexagonal close-packed structure. The phase transformation, an additional deformation mechanism to stacking faults, twinning, and dis- location slip, resulted in a higher work hardening at cryogenic temperature. The study addresses the structure metastability in the CrCoNi alloy, which led to the formation of epsilon-martensite from the intrinsic stacking faults.

Observation of quantum interference conductance fluctuations in metal rings with strong spin-orbit coupling

Ramos, R.*; 巻内 崇彦*; 吉川 貴史*; 大門 俊介*; 大柳 洸一*; 齊藤 英治

Applied Physics Letters, 117(24), p.242402_1 - 242402_5, 2020/12

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0031708

We investigated the magnetotransport properties of mesoscopic platinum nanostructures (wires and rings) with sub-100 nm lateral dimensions at very low temperatures. Despite the strong spin-orbit interaction in platinum, oscillation of the conductance as a function of the external magnetic field due to quantum interference effects was found to appear. The oscillation was decomposed into Aharonov-Bohm periodic oscillations and aperiodic fluctuations of the conductance due to a magnetic flux piercing the loop of the ring and the metal wires forming the nanostructures, respectively. We also investigated the magnetotransport under different bias currents to explore the interplay between electron phase coherence and spin accumulation effects in strong spin-orbit conductors.

An Electron-capture efficiency in femtosecond filamentation

中島 信昭*; 八ッ橋 知幸*; 迫田 憲治*; 岩倉 いずみ*; 橋本 征奈*; 横山 啓一; 松田 晶平

Chemical Physics Letters, 752, p.137570_1 - 137570_5, 2020/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cplett.2020.137570

溶液中のユウロピウムイオンにレーザー光を照射することによりEuとEuとの間の光酸化還元反応を調べた。3種類のレーザーを用いてその反応効率、波長依存性、レーザーパワー依存性などを観察した。波長308nmのナノ秒レーザーでは1光子過程が起こり酸化・還元とも量子収率0.5前後の高い値が得られた。394nm、5mJのナノ秒レーザーパルスでは2光子過程が起こり還元の量子収率は0.015程度になった。308nmの結果よりも1桁以上低い値ではあるが、容易に光還元を起こすことができることを明らかにした。パルスエネルギーを増やすことにより効率をもっと上げることができると考えられる。

Electric field effect on the magnetic domain wall creep velocity in Pt/Co/Pd structures with different Co thicknesses

小山 知弘*; 家田 淳一; 千葉 大地*

Applied Physics Letters, 116(9), p.092405_1 - 092405_5, 2020/03

AA2019-0550.pdf:0.91MB

https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5143970

The electric field (EF) modulation of magnetic domain wall (DW) creep velocity in Pt/Co/Pd structure with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (MA) has been studied. The structures with different Co thickness up to nm are investigated. In all samples, applying a gate voltage induces a clear change in . Thicker samples provide a higher modulation efficiency, and the modulation magnitude of more than a factor of 100 times is observed in the thickest of 0.98 nm. The parameter characterizing the creep motion is significantly affected by the EF, resulting in the modulation of . Unlike the case, the MA modulation efficiency decreases with increasing . The present results are discussed based on the EF-induced change in the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (iDMI), which has been recently demonstrated in the same structure, and dependence of the DW energy. The dependence of the modulation suggests that the EF effect on the iDMI is more important than the MA.

Polaronic nature of a muonium-related paramagnetic center in SrTiO

伊藤 孝; 髭本 亘; 幸田 章宏*; 下村 浩一郎*

Applied Physics Letters, 115(19), p.192103_1 - 192103_4, 2019/11

https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5125919

The hyperfine features and thermal stability of a muonium (Mu)-related paramagnetic center were investigated in the SrTiO perovskite titanate via muon spin rotation spectroscopy. The hyperfine coupling tensor of the paramagnetic center was found to have prominent dipolar characteristics, indicating that the electron spin density is dominantly distributed on a Ti site to form a small polaron near an ionized Mu donor. Based on a hydrogen-Mu analogy, interstitial hydrogen is also expected to form such a polaronic center in the dilute doping limit. The small activation energy of 30(3) meV found for the thermal dissociation of the Mu-polaron complex suggests that the strain energy required to distort the lattice is comparable to the electronic energy gained by localizing the electron.