Rational design principles for giant spin Hall effect in5d-transition metal oxides

Abstract

Spin Hall effect (SHE), a mechanism by which materials convert achargecurrent into aspincurrent, invokes interesting physics and promises to empower transformative, energy-efficient memory technology. However, fundamental questions remain about the essential factors that determine SHE. Here, we solve this open problem, presenting a comprehensive theory of five rational design principles for achievinggiantintrinsic SHE in transition metal oxides. Arising from our key insight regarding the inherently geometric nature of SHE, we demonstrate that two of these design principles are weak crystal fields and the presence of structural distortions. Moreover, we discover that antiperovskites are a highly promising class of materials for achieving giant SHE, reaching SHE values anorder of magnitudelarger than that reported for any oxide. Additionally, we derive three other design principles for enhancing SHE. Our findings bring deeper insight into the physics driving SHE and could help enhance and externally control SHE values.