Deterministic switching of perpendicularly magnetic layers by spin orbital torque through stray field engineering

Abstract

We proposed a novel multilayer structure to realize the deterministic switching of perpendicularly magnetized layers by spin orbital torque from the spin Hall effect through stray field engineering. In our design, a pinned magnetic layer is introduced under the heave metal separated by an insulator, generating an in-plane stray field in the perpendicularly magnetized layer. We have confirmed the deterministic switching of perpendicularly magnetized layers through micromagnetic simulation and theoretical analysis. The in-plane stray field accounts for the deterministic switching exhibited in the structure and the reversal ultimate state of the magnetic layer is predictable when the applied spin current density is above the critical spin current density. Moreover, the stray field is easily tunable in a wide range by adjusting the saturation magnetization and dimensions of the pinned layer, and can accommodate different perpendicularly magnetized materials without any external magnetic field.