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arXiv · 1604.02626

Interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in Pt/CoFeB films: effect of the heavy-metal thickness

S. Tacchi·R. E. Troncoso·M. Ahlberg·G. Gubbiotti·M. Madami·J. Åkerman·P. Landeros
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Abstract

We report the observation of a Pt layer thickness dependence on the induced interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in ultra-thin Pt($d_{\text{Pt}}$)/CoFeB films. Taking advantage of the large spin-orbit coupling of the heavy metal, the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction is quantified by Brillouin light scattering measurements of the frequency non-reciprocity of spin-waves in the ferromagnet. The magnitude of the induced Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya coupling is found to saturate to a value $0.45$ mJ$/$m${}^2$ for Pt thicknesses larger than $\sim 2$ nm. The experimental results are explained by analytical calculations based on the 3-site indirect exchange mechanism that predicts a Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction at the interface between a ferromagnetic thin layer and a heavy metal. Our findings open up a way to control and optimize chiral effects in ferromagnetic thin films through the thickness of the heavy metal layer.

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S. Tacchi, R. E. Troncoso, M. Ahlberg, G. Gubbiotti, M. Madami, J. Åkerman, P. Landeros. 2016-07-24. Interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in Pt/CoFeB films: effect of the heavy-metal thickness. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.118.147201

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