More Like this

1. Bulk‐Rashba Effect with Suppressed Spin Relaxation in a Polar Phase of Bi _{1‐ x} In _{1+ x} O ₃

   https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202504684  

   Kang, Deokyoung; Lu, Xue‐Zeng; Acharya, Megha; Husain, Sajid; Harris, Isaac; Behera, Piush; Lin, Ching‐Che; Banyas, Ella; Smith, Alex; Ricci, Francesco; et al (July 2025, Advanced Materials)

   Abstract The Rashba effect enables control over the spin degree of freedom, particularly in polar materials where the polar symmetry couples to Rashba‐type spin splitting. The exploration of this effect, however, has been hindered by the scarcity of polar materials exhibiting the bulk‐Rashba effect and rapid spin‐relaxation effects dictated by the D'yakonov–Perel mechanism. Here, a polar LiNbO₃‐typeR3cphase of Bi_1‐xIn_1+xO₃withx≈0.15–0.24 is stabilized via epitaxial growth, which exhibits a bulk‐Rashba effect with suppressed spin relaxation as a result of its unidirectional spin texture. As compared to the previously observed non‐polarPnmaphase, this polar phase exhibits higher conductivity, reduced bandgap, and enhanced dielectric and piezoelectric responses. Combining first‐principles calculations and multimodal magnetotransport measurements, which reveal weak (anti)localization, anisotropic magnetoresistance, planar‐Hall effect, and nonreciprocal charge transport, a bulk‐Rashba effect without rapid spin relaxation is demonstrated. These findings offer insights into spin‐orbit coupling physics within polar oxides and suggest potential spintronic applications. 

   more » « less
2. Spin Wave Excitation, Detection, and Utilization in the Organic‐Based Magnet, V(TCNE) _x (TCNE = Tetracyanoethylene)

   https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202002663  

   Liu, Haoliang; Malissa, Hans; Stolley, Ryan_M; Singh, Jaspal; Groesbeck, Matthew; Popli, Henna; Kavand, Marzieh; Chong, Su_Kong; Deshpande, Vikram_V; Miller, Joel_S; et al (August 2020, Advanced Materials)

   Abstract Spin waves, quantized as magnons, have low energy loss and magnetic damping, which are critical for devices based on spin‐wave propagation needed for information processing devices. The organic‐based magnet [V(TCNE)_x; TCNE = tetracyanoethylene;x≈ 2] has shown an extremely low magnetic damping comparable to, for example, yttrium iron garnet (YIG). The excitation, detection, and utilization of coherent and non‐coherent spin waves on various modes in V(TCNE)_xis demonstrated and show that the angular momentum carried by microwave‐excited coherent spin waves in a V(TCNE)_xfilm can be transferred into an adjacent Pt layer via spin pumping and detected using the inverse spin Hall effect. The spin pumping efficiency can be tuned by choosing different excited spin wave modes in the V(TCNE)_xfilm. In addition, it is shown that non‐coherent spin waves in a V(TCNE)_xfilm, excited thermally via the spin Seebeck effect, can also be used as spin pumping source that generates an electrical signal in Pt with a sign change in accordance with the magnetization switching of the V(TCNE)_x. Combining coherent and non‐coherent spin wave detection, the spin pumping efficiency can be thermally controlled, and new insight is gained for the spintronic applications of spin wave modes in organic‐based magnets. 

   more » « less
3. The spin polarization of palladium on magneto-electric Cr ₂ O ₃

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-648X/acc710  

   Komesu, Takashi; Echtenkamp, Will; Binek, Christian; Dowben, Peter A. (April 2023, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter)

   Abstract While induced spin polarization of a palladium (Pd) overlayer on antiferromagnetic and magneto-electric Cr₂O₃(0001) is possible because of the boundary polarization at the Cr₂O₃(0001), in the single domain state, the Pd thin film appears to be ferromagnetic on its own, likely as a result of strain. In the conduction band, we find the experimental evidence of ferromagnetic spin polarized in Pd thin films on a Cr₂O₃(0001) single crystal, especially in the thin limit, Pd thickness of around 1–4 nm. Indeed there is significant spin polarization in 10 Å thick Pd films on Cr₂O₃(0001) at 310 K, i.e. above the Néel temperature of bulk Cr₂O₃. While Cr₂O₃(0001) has surface moments that tend to align along the surface normal, for Pd on Cr₂O₃, the spin polarization contains an in-plane component. Strain in the Pd adlayer on Cr₂O₃(0001) appears correlated to the spin polarization measured in spin polarized inverse photoemission spectroscopy. Further evidence for magnetization of Pd on Cr₂O₃is provided by measurement of the exchange bias fields in Cr₂O₃/Pd(buffer)/[Co/Pd]_nexchange bias systems. The magnitude of the exchange bias field is, over a wide temperature range, virtually unaffected by the Pd thickness variation between 1 and 2 nm. 

   more » « less
4. Thermally generated spin current in the topological insulator Bi ₂ Se ₃

   https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adi4540  

   Jain, Rakshit; Stanley, Max; Bose, Arnab; Richardella, Anthony R.; Zhang, Xiyue S.; Pillsbury, Timothy; Muller, David A.; Samarth, Nitin; Ralph, Daniel C. (December 2023, Science Advances)

   We present measurements of thermally generated transverse spin currents in the topological insulator Bi₂Se₃, thereby completing measurements of interconversions among the full triad of thermal gradients, charge currents, and spin currents. We accomplish this by comparing the spin Nernst magneto-thermopower to the spin Hall magnetoresistance for bilayers of Bi₂Se₃/CoFeB. We find that Bi₂Se₃does generate substantial thermally driven spin currents. A lower bound for the ratio of spin current density to thermal gradient is $\frac{J_s}{{\mathbf{\nabla }}_{\mathit{x}}\mathit{T}}$= (4.9 ± 0.9) × 10⁶ $\left(\frac{\hslash }{2e}\right)\frac{\mathbf{A}{\mathbf{m}}^{-2}}{\mathbf{K}\text{μ}{\mathbf{m}}^{-1}}$, and a lower bound for the magnitude of the spin Nernst ratio is −0.61 ± 0.11. The spin Nernst ratio for Bi₂Se₃is the largest among all materials measured to date, two to three times larger compared to previous measurements for the heavy metals Pt and W. Strong thermally generated spin currents in Bi₂Se₃can be understood via Mott relations to be due to an overall large spin Hall conductivity and its dependence on electron energy. 

   more » « less
5. Symmetry Control of Unconventional Spin–Orbit Torques in IrO ₂

   https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202301608  

   Patton, Michael; Gurung, Gautam; Shao, Ding‐Fu; Noh, Gahee; Mittelstaedt, Joseph_A; Mazur, Marcel; Kim, Jong‐Woo; Ryan, Philip_J; Tsymbal, Evgeny_Y; Choi, Si‐Young; et al (July 2023, Advanced Materials)

   Abstract Spin–orbit torques generated by a spin current are key to magnetic switching in spintronic applications. The polarization of the spin current dictates the direction of switching required for energy‐efficient devices. Conventionally, the polarizations of these spin currents are restricted to be along a certain direction due to the symmetry of the material allowing only for efficient in‐plane magnetic switching. Unconventional spin–orbit torques arising from novel spin current polarizations, however, have the potential to switch other magnetization orientations such as perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, which is desired for higher density spintronic‐based memory devices. Here, it is demonstrated that low crystalline symmetry is not required for unconventional spin–orbit torques and can be generated in a nonmagnetic high symmetry material, iridium dioxide (IrO₂), using epitaxial design. It is shown that by reducing the relative crystalline symmetry with respect to the growth direction large unconventional spin currents can be generated and hence spin–orbit torques. Furthermore, the spin polarizations detected in (001), (110), and (111) oriented IrO₂thin films are compared to show which crystal symmetries restrict unconventional spin transport. Understanding and tuning unconventional spin transport generation in high symmetry materials can provide a new route towards energy‐efficient magnetic switching in spintronic devices. 

   more » « less