Strongly heat-assisted spin-orbit torque switching of a ferrimagnetic insulator

Ferrimagnetic insulators promise low-power and high-speed spintronic applications, thanks to their insulating nature and fast dynamics near compensation points. In a ferrimagnetic insulator/heavy metal heterostructure, we investigate field- and current-induced magnetization switching at various temperatures and observe distinct magnetization switching behaviors owing to spin-orbit torque (SOT) and heating effect. We have realized SOT switching across the magnetization compensation temperature and discovered that the SOT switching is strongly heat-assisted: the temperature is always above the compensation temperature while the SOT switching happens in our case. Moreover, we show that the SOT efficiency is strongly magnetization-dependent by characterizing the current dependence of SOT efficiency and explaining the anomalous SOT switching back phenomena in the presence of a titled external field. Our results reveal the critical role of Joule heating on the dynamics of magnetic insulators and pave the way for the application of spintronic devices based on magnetic insulators.

Automated summary

The study investigates the magnetization switching behaviors in ferrimagnetic insulators and heavy metal heterostructures, revealing the influence of spin-orbit torque (SOT) and heating effects. It demonstrates the strong heat-assisted SOT switching above magnetization compensation temperature and the magnetization-dependent SOT efficiency in the presence of a titled external field, paving the way for spintronic devices based on magnetic insulators.