Flexible spin-orbit torque devices

• Published in: Applied physics letters 2015-12, Vol.107 (25)
• Main Authors: Lee, OukJae, You, Long, Jang, Jaewon, Subramanian, Vivek, Salahuddin, Sayeef
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ANISOTROPY; Applied physics; Bend radius; Bending machines; CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; Cobalt; Devices; Electronics; Ferromagnetism; Heterostructures; INTERFACES; L-S COUPLING; MAGNESIUM OXIDES; Magnetic anisotropy; Magnetic resonance imaging; NMR IMAGING; PLASTICS; SPIN; SPUTTERING; SUBSTRATES; TEMPERATURE RANGE 0273-0400 K
• ISSN: 0003-6951; 1077-3118
• DOI: 10.1063/1.4936934

We report on state-of-the-art spintronic devices synthesized and fabricated directly on a flexible organic substrate. Large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy was achieved in ultrathin ferromagnetic heterostructures of Pt/Co/MgO sputtered on a non-rigid plastic substrate at room temperature. Subsequently, a full magnetic reversal of the Co was observed by exploiting the spin orbit coupling in Pt that leads to a spin accumulation at the Pt/Co interface when an in-plane current is applied. Quasi-static measurements show the potential for operating these devices at nano-second speeds. Importantly, the behavior of the devices remained unchanged under varying bending conditions (up to a bending radius of ≈ ±20–30 mm). Furthermore, the devices showed robust operation even after application of 106 successive pulses, which is likely sufficient for many flexible applications. Thus, this work demonstrates the potential for integrating high performance spintronic devices on flexible substrates, which could lead to many applications ranging from flexible non-volatile magnetic memory to local magnetic resonance imaging.