2018/03/01 by V. P. Amin, J. Zemen, M. D. Stiles
Physics and Astronomy · #cond-mat.mes-hall
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.121.136805
published as Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 136805 (2018)
arxiv created 2018/03/01 · arxiv updated 2018/10/03
Transport calculations based on ab-initio band structures reveal large interface-generated spin currents at Co/Pt, Co/Cu, and Pt/Cu interfaces. These spin currents are driven by in-plane electric fields but flow out-of-plane, and can have similar strengths to spin currents generated by the spin Hall effect in bulk Pt. Each interface generates spin currents with polarization along \bfz × \bfE, where \bfz is the interface normal and \bfE denotes the electric field. The Co/Cu and Co/Pt interfaces additionally generate spin currents with polarization along \bfm × (\bfz × \bfE), where \bfm gives the magnetization direction of Co. The latter spin polarization is controlled by---but not aligned with---the magnetization, providing a novel mechanism for generating spin torques in magnetic trilayers.