Author:
Kee Jung Yun,Kim Kook Tae,Lee In Hak,Seo Ilwan,Chang Jun-Young,Lee Ah-Yeon,Noh Woo-suk,Chang Young Jun,Park Seung-Young,Choe Sug-Bong,Kim Duck-Ho,Kim Kyoung-Whan,Choi Yongseong,Lee Dong Ryeol,Choi Jun Woo
Abstract
AbstractInterfacial magnetic interactions between different elements are the origin of various spin-transport phenomena in multi-elemental magnetic systems. We investigate the coupling between the magnetic moments of the rare-earth, transition-metal, and heavy-metal elements across the interface in a GdFeCo/Pt thin film, an archetype system to investigate ferrimagnetic spintronics. The Pt magnetic moments induced by the antiferromagnetically aligned FeCo and Gd moments are measured using element-resolved x-ray measurements. It is revealed that the proximity-induced Pt magnetic moments are always aligned parallel to the FeCo magnetic moments, even below the ferrimagnetic compensation temperature where FeCo has a smaller moment than Gd. This is understood by a theoretical model showing distinct effects of the rare-earth Gd 4f and transition-metal FeCo 3d magnetic moments on the Pt electronic states. In particular, the Gd and FeCo work in-phase to align the Pt moment in the same direction, despite their antiferromagnetic configuration. The unexpected additive roles of the two antiferromagnetically coupled elements exemplify the importance of detailed interactions among the constituent elements in understanding magnetic and spintronic properties of thin film systems.
Funder
National Reserach Foundation of Korea
Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Korea Basic Science Institute
Yonsei University
Basic Energy Sciences
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC