We show that in a perpendicularly magnetized Pt/Co bilayer the spin-Hall effect (SHE) in Pt can produce a spin torque strong enough to efficiently rotate and switch the Co magnetization. We calculate the phase diagram of switching driven by this torque, finding quantitative agreement with experiments. When optimized, the SHE torque can enable memory and logic devices with similar critical currents and improved reliability compared to conventional spin-torque switching. We suggest that the SHE torque also affects current-driven magnetic domain wall motion in Pt/ferromagnet bilayers.

We study deterministic magnetic reversal of a perpendicularly magnetized Co layer in a Co/MgO/Ta nano-square driven by spin Hall torque from an in-plane current flowing in an underlying Pt layer. The rate-limiting step of the switching process is domain-wall (DW) depinning by spin Hall torque via a thermally-assisted mechanism that eventually produces full reversal by domain expansion. An in-plane applied magnetic field collinear with the current is required, with the necessary field scale set by the need to overcome DW chirality imposed by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Once Joule heating is taken into account the switching current density is quantitatively consistent with a spin Hall angle θ SH ≈ 0.07 for 4 nm of Pt.  J  Jx , such that the direction of switching is determined by the sign of    J H . 2-4 Here we analyze the microscopic processes in operation during current-driven reversal of PMA samples, and show that for quantitative understanding it is necessary to move beyond a previous macrospin description and consider how the depinning of magnetic domain walls is governed by the combined effects of an in-plane magnetic field and the torque induced by the in-plane current.

We model, using the macrospin approximation, the magnetic reversal of a perpendicularly magnetized nanostructured free layer formed on a normal, heavy-metal nanostrip, subjected to spin-orbit torques (SOTs) generated by short (≤0.5 ns) current pulses applied to the nanostrip, to examine the potential for SOT-based fast, efficient cryogenic memory. Due to thermal fluctuations, if solely an anti-damping torque is applied, then, for a device with sufficiently low anisotropy (Hanis0 ∼ 1 kOe) suitable for application in cryogenic memory, a high magnetic damping parameter (α∼0.1−0.2) is required for reliable switching over a significant variation of pulse current. The additional presence of a substantial field-like torque improves switching reliability even for low damping (α≤0.03).

We report on spin valve devices that incorporate both an out-of-plane polarizer (OPP) to quickly excite spin torque (ST) switching and an in-plane polarizer/analyzer (IPP). For pulses < 200 ps we observe reliable precessional switching due largely to ST from the OPP. Compared to a conventional spin valve, for a given current in the short pulse regime the addition of the OPP can decrease the pulse width necessary for switching by a factor of 10 or more. The influence of the IPP is most obvious at longer, smaller pulses, but also has beneficial ST consequences for short pulse switching.

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