Spin Hall effect and Nernst effect in FePt/Au multi-terminal devices with different Au thicknesses

The spin-Hall effect and the Nernst effect were investigated in multi-terminal devices consisting of an FePt perpendicular spin polarizer and a Au Hall cross with different Au thicknesses. As the thickness of the Au Hall cross increased from 10 nm to 20 nm, the spin-Hall angle (alpha(H)) was significantly reduced. The significant reduction of the spin-Hall angle indicates that the interface and/or surface scattering of the electron spins play a crucial role for the large alpha(H). The voltage change due to the Nernst effect also decreased with increasing the thickness of the Au Hall cross. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.