GOALI: Spin-Orbit Torques From Magnetically Ordered Materials and Their Applications

非技术摘要：该项目汇集了来自纽约大学和IBM的顶尖研究人员，目的是促进对纳米级磁性设备和材料的理解和应用。磁性纳米结构在技术上得到了广泛的应用，在半导体工业中具有最先进的应用。这与这样一个事实有关，即使用磁性材料存储和处理信息时，可以大幅减少能源使用；因为存储在磁性材料中的数据可以在没有电源(或移动设备中的电池)的情况下保留。由于世界范围内对数据处理和存储的需求不断增加，先进的磁性设备构成了美国巨大工业的支柱。该项目旨在发现利用磁性材料本身作为自旋轨道力矩的来源来写入磁性信息的更有效的方法。该项目与对这一磁性研究前沿领域的年轻科学家的培训相结合。参与这一合作的研究生和本科生将从学术界和工业界之间的互动中受益，并将通过接触到工业环境中存在的各种视角、专业知识和技术而得到丰富。技术摘要：NSF-GOALI项目汇集了来自纽约大学和IBM的纳米磁学领域的顶尖研究人员，目的是促进对自旋电子学的理解和应用。自旋电子学的一个重要和首要目标是发现和表征在磁化过程中产生自旋电流和相关自旋力矩的更有效的方法。最近，人们已经证实，自旋-轨道相互作用能够非常有效地将电荷转化为自旋，并在磁性层上产生大扭矩。然而，作用在铁磁层上的自旋极化通常局限于层平面，因此在反转平面内磁化层的磁化方面非常有效，但在切换和激发垂直磁化元件的磁化方面效果要差得多。这个项目研究了铁磁层中与自旋-轨道耦合相关的自旋电流及其与非磁体的界面，这些界面有可能产生垂直于层平面极化的自旋电流。研究了各种过渡金属材料和界面的电荷-自旋转换效率和响应对称性随磁化角的变化规律。利用时间分辨和空间分辨的磁化动力学探针揭示了垂直磁化层和图案化纳米结构中的磁化开关机制，以进一步了解由自旋转移力矩激发的非线性磁化动力学。参与这一合作的研究生和本科生将从学术界和工业界之间的互动以及纽约大学和IBM之间的学生交流中受益。他们的教育将通过在工业环境中存在的各种视角、专业知识和技术来丰富。还将鼓励高中生参与这一研究项目。作为该项目的一部分，PIS将在纽约大学开发一门新的物理与技术课程，目的是向学生介绍“真实世界”(大学以外的)物理。该课程将突出应用物理学将技术商业化并在包括磁学和量子信息在内的技术领域更广泛地影响社会所需的技能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Non-Technical Abstract:This project brings together leading researchers from New York University and IBM with the aim of furthering the understanding and application of nanometer scale magnetic devices and materials. Magnetic nanostructures are widely used in technology with the most advanced applications found in the semiconductor industry. This is associated with the fact that there can be large reductions in energy usage when information is stored and processed with magnetic materials; because data stored in magnetic materials can be retained without power (or a battery in mobile devices). Because of ever-increasing worldwide demands for data processing and storage, advanced magnetic devices form the backbone of huge industries in the United States. This project aims to uncover more efficient means of writing magnetic information using magnetic materials themselves as the source of spin-orbit torques. The project is integrated with the training of young scientists in this forefront area of magnetism research. Graduate and undergraduate students involved in this collaboration will gain by interactions between academia and industry and will be enriched through exposure to a variety of perspectives, expertise and techniques present in an industrial setting. Technical Abstract:This NSF-GOALI project brings together leading researchers in nanomagnetism from New York University and IBM with the aim of furthering the understanding and application of spintronics. An important and overarching goal of spintronics is to discover and characterize more efficient means of generating spin currents and associated spin torques on magnetization. Recently it has been established that spin-orbit interactions enable very efficient charge-to-spin conversion and large torques on magnetic layers. However, the spin polarization that acts on the ferromagnetic layer is typically confined to the layer plane, and thus is very effective at reversing the magnetization of in-plane magnetized layers but far less effective in switching and exciting the magnetization of perpendicularly magnetized elements. This project investigates spin currents associated with spin-orbit coupling in ferromagnetic layers and their interfaces to nonmagnets, which have the potential to generate spin currents polarized perpendicular to the layer planes. The charge-to-spin conversion efficiency and the symmetry of the response are studied for a variety of transition metal materials and interfaces as a function of magnetization angle. Time-resolved and spatially resolved probes of magnetization dynamics are employed to reveal magnetization switching mechanisms in thin perpendicularly magnetized layers and patterned nanostructures to further the understanding of the nonlinear magnetization dynamics excited by spin-transfer torques. Graduate and undergraduate students involved in this collaboration will gain by interactions between academia and industry and through student exchanges between NYU and IBM. Their education will be enriched through the variety of perspectives, expertise and techniques present in an industrial setting. High school students will also be encouraged to participate in this research project. As part of this project the PIs will develop a new course at NYU on Physics and Technology with the goal of introducing students to physics in the “real world” (outside of universities). The course will highlight the skills needed to apply physics to commercialize technologies and impact society more broadly in technological fields, including in magnetism and quantum information.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.