Current-induced spin-wave excitations in a single ferromagnetic layer

Tip-induced or enhanced superconductivity: a way to detect topological superconductivity

Topological materials, hosting topological nontrivial electronic band, have attracted widespread attentions. As an application of topology in physics, the discovery and study of topological materials not only enrich the existing theoretical framework of physics, but also provide fertile ground for investigations on low energy excitations, such as Weyl fermions and Majorana fermions, which have not been observed yet as fundamental particles. These quasiparticles with exotic physical properties make topological materials the cutting edge of scientific research and a new favorite of high tech. As a typical example, Majorana fermions, predicted to exist in the edge state of topological superconductors, are proposed to implement topological error-tolerant quantum computers. Thus, the detection of topological superconductivity has become a frontier in condensed matter physics and materials science. Here, we review a way to detect topological superconductivity triggered by the hard point contact: tip-induced superconductivity (TISC) and tip-enhanced superconductivity (TESC). The TISC refers to the superconductivity induced by a non-superconducting tip at the point contact on non-superconducting materials. We take the elaboration of the chief experimental achievement of TISC in topological Dirac semimetal Cd₃As₂ and Weyl semimetal TaAs as key components of this article for detecting topological superconductivity. Moreover, we also briefly introduce the main results of another exotic effect, TESC, in superconducting Au₂Pb and Sr₂RuO₄ single crystals, which are respectively proposed as the candidates of helical topological superconductor and chiral topological superconductor. Related results and the potential mechanism are conducive to improving the comprehension of how to induce and enhance the topological superconductivity.

Tuning magnetic properties for domain wall pinning via localized metal diffusion

Precise control of domain wall displacement in nanowires is essential for application in domain wall based memory and logic devices. Currently, domain walls are pinned by creating topographical notches fabricated by lithography. In this paper, we propose localized diffusion of non-magnetic metal into ferromagnetic nanowires by annealing induced mixing as a non-topographical approach to form pinning sites. As a first step to prove this new approach, magnetodynamic properties of permalloy (Ni₈₀Fe₂₀) films coated with different capping layers such as Ta, Cr, Cu and Ru were investigated. Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR), and anisotropy magnetoresistance (AMR) measurements were carried out after annealing the samples at different temperatures (T _an ). The saturation magnetization of Ni₈₀Fe₂₀ film decreased, and damping constant increased with T _an . X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy results confirmed increased diffusion of Cr into the middle of Ni₈₀Fe₂₀ layers with T _an . The resistance vs magnetic field measurements on nanowires showed intriguing results.

Terahertz Antiferromagnetic Spin Hall Nano-Oscillator

We consider the current-induced dynamics of insulating antiferromagnets in a spin Hall geometry. Sufficiently large in-plane currents perpendicular to the Néel order trigger spontaneous oscillations at frequencies between the acoustic and the optical eigenmodes. The direction of the driving current determines the chirality of the excitation. When the current exceeds a threshold, the combined effect of spin pumping and current-induced torques introduces a dynamic feedback that sustains steady-state oscillations with amplitudes controllable via the applied current. The ac voltage output is calculated numerically as a function of the dc current input for different feedback strengths. Our findings open a route towards terahertz antiferromagnetic spin-torque oscillators.

Stochastic current-induced magnetization switching in a single semiconducting ferromagnetic layer

We show experimental evidence of magnetization switching in a single (Ga,Mn)(As,P) semiconducting ferromagnetic layer, attributed to a strong reduction of the magnetization and the anisotropy due to current injection. The nucleation of magnetization reversal is found to occur even in the absence of a magnetic field and to be both anisotropic and stochastic. Our findings highlight a new mechanism of magnetization manipulation based on spin accumulation in a semiconductor material.

Direct current control of three magnon scattering processes in spin-valve nanocontacts

We have investigated the generation of spin waves in the free layer of an extended spin-valve structure with a nanoscaled point contact driven by both microwave and direct electric current using Brillouin light scattering microscopy. Simultaneously with the directly excited spin waves, strong nonlinear effects are observed, namely, the generation of eigenmodes with integer multiple frequencies (2f, 3f, 4f) and modes with noninteger factors (0.5f, 1.5f) with respect to the excitation frequency f. The origin of these nonlinear modes is traced back to three-magnon-scattering processes. The direct current influence on the generation of the fundamental mode at frequency f is related to the spin-transfer torque, while the efficiency of three-magnon-scattering processes is controlled by the Oersted field as an additional effect of the direct current.

Current driven tri-stable resistance states in magnetic point contacts

Point contacts between normal and ferromagnetic metals are investigated using magnetoresistance and transport spectroscopy measurements combined with micromagnetic simulations. Pronounced hysteresis in the point contact resistance versus both bias current and external magnetic field are observed. It is found that such hysteretic resistance can exhibit, in addition to bi-stable resistance states found in ordinary spin valves, tri-stable resistance states with a middle resistance level. We interpret these observations in terms of surface spin valve and spin vortex states, originating from a substantially modified spin structure at the ferromagnetic interface in the contact core. We argue that these surface spin states, subject to a weakened exchange interaction, dominate the effects of spin transfer torques on the nanometer scale.

Detection of spin reversal and nutations through current measurements

The dynamics of a single spin embedded in a tunnel junction between ferromagnetic contacts is strongly affected by the exchange coupling to the tunneling electrons. Moment reversal of the local spin induced by the bias voltage across the junction is shown to have a measurable effect on the tunneling current. Furthermore, the frequency of a harmonic bias voltage is picked up by the local spin dynamics and transferred back to the current, generating a double frequency component.

Surface spin-valve effect

We report an observation of spin-valve-like hysteresis within a few atomic layers at a ferromagnetic interface. We use phonon spectroscopy of nanometer-sized point contacts as an in situ probe to study the mechanism of the effect. Distinctive energy phonon peaks for contacts with dissimilar nonmagnetic outer electrodes allow localizing the observed spin switching to the top or bottom interfaces for nanometer thin ferromagnetic layers. The mechanism consistent with our data is energetically distinct atomically thin surface spin layers that can form current- or field-driven surface spin-valves within a single ferromagnetic film.

Mode locking of spin waves excited by direct currents in microwave nano-oscillators

A spin-wave theory is presented which explains the frequency pulling and mode locking observed when two closely spaced spin-transfer nanometer-scale oscillators with slightly different frequencies are separately driven in the same magnetic thin film by spin-polarized carriers at high direct-current densities. The theory confirms recent experimental evidence that the origin of the phenomena lies in the nonlinear interaction between two overlapping spin waves excited in the magnetic nanostructure.

Enhanced magnetoresistance induced by spin transfer torque in granular films with a magnetic field

Spin-transfer torques (STT) provide a mechanism to alter the magnetic configurations of magnetic heterostructures, a result previously only achieved by an external magnetic field. In granular solids, we demonstrate a new form of STT effect that can be exploited to induce a large spin disorder when combined with a large magnetic field. We have obtained a very large magnetoresistance effect in excess of 400% at 4.2 K in a large magnetic field, the largest ever reported in any metallic systems. The STT characteristics of granular solids differ significantly from those of multilayers, showing no STT effect at low magnetic fields but prominent STT effects at high fields.

Spectroscopy of phonons and spin torques in magnetic point contacts

Phonon spectroscopy is used to investigate the mechanism of current-induced spin torques in nonmagnetic/ferromagnetic (N/F) point contacts. Magnetization excitations observed in the magneto-conductance of the point contacts are pronounced for diffusive and thermal contacts, where the electrons experience significant scattering in the contact region. We find no magnetic excitations in highly ballistic contacts. Our results show that impurity scattering at the N/F interface is the origin of the new single-interface spin torque effect.

Effect of spin current on uniform ferromagnetism: domain nucleation

A large spin current applied to a uniform ferromagnet leads to a spin-wave instability as pointed out recently. In this Letter, it is shown that such spin-wave instability is absent in a state containing a domain wall, which indicates that nucleation of magnetic domains occurs above a certain critical spin current. This scenario is supported also by an explicit energy comparison of the two states under spin current.

Spin-wave theory for the dynamics induced by direct currents in magnetic multilayers

A spin-wave theory is presented for the magnetization dynamics in a ferromagnetic film that is traversed by spin-polarized carriers at high direct-current densities. It is shown that nonlinear effects due to four-magnon interactions arising from dipolar and surface anisotropy energies limit the growth of the driven spin wave and produce shifts in the microwave frequency oscillations. The theory explains quantitatively recent experimental results in nanometric point contacts onto magnetic multilayers showing downward frequency shifts (redshifts) with increasing current, if the external field is on the film plane, and upward shifts (blueshifts), if the field is perpendicular to the film.

Current-induced excitations in single cobalt ferromagnetic layer nanopillars

Current-induced excitations in Cu/Co/Cu single ferromagnetic layer nanopillars ( approximately 50 nm in diameter) have been studied experimentally as a function of Co layer thickness at low temperatures for large applied fields perpendicular to the layers. For asymmetric junctions current-induced excitations are observed at high current densities for only one polarity of the current and are absent at the same current densities in symmetric junctions. These observations confirm recent predictions of spin-transfer torque induced spin-wave excitations in single layer junctions with a strong asymmetry in the spin accumulation in the leads.

Current-driven excitations in symmetric magnetic nanopillars

We study experimentally the current-driven magnetic excitations in symmetric Co/Cu/Co nanopillars. In contrast with all the previous observations where the current of only one polarity is capable of exciting a multilayer system saturated by an externally applied magnetic field, we observe that both polarities of the applied current trigger excitations in a symmetric multilayer. This may indicate that in symmetric structures the current propels high-frequency magnetic oscillations in all magnetic layers. We argue, however, that only one layer is excited in our multilayers but, interestingly, currents of opposite polarities excite different layers. This hypothesis is supported by modeling the spin accumulation in symmetric magnetic multilayers.

Current-driven switching in a single exchange-biased ferromagnetic layer

We demonstrate spin-transfer torque effects in a single exchange-biased ferromagnetic layer. A current through a point contact to the exchange-biased Co layer reverses the magnetization of a nanodomain in the layer hysteretically for low applied magnetic fields and reversibly for high fields (up to 9 T). These effects are the inverse of the domain wall magnetoresistance, in the same way that similar effects in multilayers are the inverse of giant magnetoresistance.

Domain-wall dynamics and spin-wave excitations with spin-transfer torques

A generalization of spin-transfer torques in ferromagnetic structures is proposed. For a spatially nonuniform magnetization, the spin torque has a form nearly identical to that in magnetic multilayers. We show that the domain-wall motion driven by the current has many unique features that do not exist in the conventional domain-wall motion driven by a magnetic field. We also demonstrate that the spin torque can generate bulk and surface spin excitations that have been seen in point-contact experiments.

Direct-current induced dynamics in Co90 Fe10/Ni80 Fe20 point contacts

We have directly measured coherent high-frequency magnetization dynamics in ferromagnetic films induced by a spin-polarized dc current. The precession frequency can be tuned over a range of several gigahertz by varying the applied current. The frequencies of excitation also vary with applied field, resulting in a microwave oscillator that can be tuned from below 5 to above 40 GHz. This novel method of inducing high-frequency dynamics yields oscillations having quality factors from 200 to 800. We compare our results with those from single-domain simulations of current-induced dynamics.

Current-induced transverse spin-wave instability in a thin nanomagnet

We show that an unpolarized electric current incident perpendicular to the plane of a thin ferromagnet can excite a spin-wave instability transverse to the current direction if source and drain contacts are not symmetric. The instability, which is driven by the current-induced "spin-transfer torque," exists for one current direction only.

Current-induced magnetization reversal in high magnetic fields in Co/Cu/Co nanopillars

Current-induced magnetization dynamics in Co/Cu/Co trilayer nanopillars (approximately 100 nm in diameter) have been studied experimentally at low temperatures for large applied fields perpendicular to the layers. At 4.2 K an abrupt and hysteretic increase in resistance is observed at high current densities for one polarity of the current, comparable to the giant magnetoresistance effect observed at low fields. A micromagnetic model that includes a spin-transfer torque suggests that the current induces a complete reversal of the thin Co layer to alignment antiparallel to the applied field--that is, to a state of maximum magnetic energy.