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Igarashi J, Zhang W, Remy Q, Díaz E, Lin JX, Hohlfeld J, Hehn M, Mangin S, Gorchon J, Malinowski G. Optically induced ultrafast magnetization switching in ferromagnetic spin valves. NATURE MATERIALS 2023:10.1038/s41563-023-01499-z. [PMID: 36894773 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-023-01499-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The discovery of spin-transfer torque (STT) enabled the control of the magnetization direction in magnetic devices in nanoseconds using an electrical current. Ultrashort optical pulses have also been used to manipulate the magnetization of ferrimagnets at picosecond timescales by bringing the system out of equilibrium. So far, these methods of magnetization manipulation have mostly been developed independently within the fields of spintronics and ultrafast magnetism. Here we show optically induced ultrafast magnetization reversal taking place within less than a picosecond in rare-earth-free archetypal spin valves of [Pt/Co]/Cu/[Co/Pt] commonly used for current-induced STT switching. We find that the magnetization of the free layer can be switched from a parallel to an antiparallel alignment, as in STT, indicating the presence of an unexpected, intense and ultrafast source of opposite angular momentum in our structures. Our findings provide a route to ultrafast magnetization control by bridging concepts from spintronics and ultrafast magnetism.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wei Zhang
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, IJL, Nancy, France
- Anhui High Reliability Chips Engineering Laboratory, Hefei Innovation Research Institute, Beihang University, Hefei, China
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Spintronics, School of Integrated Circuit Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China
| | - Quentin Remy
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, IJL, Nancy, France
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Eva Díaz
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, IJL, Nancy, France
| | - Jun-Xiao Lin
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, IJL, Nancy, France
| | | | - Michel Hehn
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, IJL, Nancy, France
- Center for Science and Innovation in Spintronics, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Stéphane Mangin
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, IJL, Nancy, France
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Center for Science and Innovation in Spintronics, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Jon Gorchon
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, IJL, Nancy, France.
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