Nickel-tungsten alloy indicates strong potential for use in energy efficient spintronic devices
In a scientific collaboration across departments at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers have established a nickel-tungsten alloy (Ni₄W) as capable of generating multi-directional spin currents.
Spin-orbit torque (SOT), the mechanism that drives spintronics-based memory and logic devices, is limited by the characteristics of conventional SOT materials. The crystal symmetry of these materials implies that they can only generate in-plane spins which limit their performance and application potential. Although scientists have identified materials with crystal symmetry capable of generating unconventional spins, their inefficient SOT limits their potential for application in magnetic memory and other electronic devices.
In the present study documented in the paper titled “Large Spin-Orbit Torque with Multi-Directional Spin Components in Ni₄W,” scientists have demonstrated that epitaxial thin films of Ni₄W are a low symmetry material that can generate giant SOT with multi-directional spins. Additionally, the alloy was also capable of field free switching enabled by the multi-directional spins. The results of the study indicate that the alloy is a strong contender for use in energy-efficient spintronic devices.
The ECE team included Distinguished McKnight Professor and Robert F. Hartmann Chair Jian-Ping Wang, Paul Palmberg Professor Tony Low, Seungjun Lee, Yifei Yang, Yu-Chia Chen, Qi Jia, Brahmudutta Dixit, Duarte Sousa, Yihong Fan, Yu-Han Huang, Deyuan Lyu and Onri Jay Benally. University of Minnesota Characterization Facility authors were Michael Odlyzko, Javier Garcia-Barriocanal, Guichuan Yu, and Greg Haugstad. Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science authors were Zach Cresswell and Shuang Liang.
Read the paper, “Large Spin-Orbit Torque with Multi-Directional Spin Components in Ni4W,” at the Advanced Materials website.