Thermal spin transfer torque on MgO-based magnetic tunnel junctions using FMR microresonators


Thermal spin transfer torque on MgO-based magnetic tunnel junctions using FMR microresonators

Cansever, H.; Fowley, C.; Narkowicz, R.; Kowalska, E.; Aleksandrov, Y.; Yildirim, O.; Titova, A.; Lenz, K.; Lindner, J.; Fassbender, J.; Deac, A. M.

MgO-based magnetic tunnel junctions are commonly used in spintronic device applications, such as recent spin transfer torque random access memory (STT-RAM) because of their non-volatility, fast switching and high storage capacity. Spin transfer torque is defined as a spin polarized current flowing through a ferromagnet exerting a torque on the local magnetization. With thermal spin transfer torque (T-STT), thermally excited electron transport is used instead of spin polarized charge current and provides an interesting way of using thermoelectric effects in magnetic storage applications. Our study focuses on fundamental experimental research aimed at demonstrating that thermal gradients can generate spin-transfer torques in MgO-based magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). We use microresonators in order to analyze how the ferromagnetic resonance signal corresponding to the free layer of an in-plane MgO-based tunnel junction device is modified in the presence of a temperature gradient across the barrier.
This work is supported by DFG-SPP1538

Keywords: Spin Transfer Torque; MTJ; microresonator; FMR

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Publ.-Id: 24741