Electrical Detection of DC Spin Current Propagation Through an Epitaxial Antiferromagnetic NiO Layer

A method for detecting de spin current propagation through an epitaxial antiferromagnetic (AFM) NiO layer is presented. Spin current is generated by spin pumping from an adjoining ferromagnetic (FM) layer and detected in a non-magnetic metallic layer by the inverse spin Hall effect. Comparison is made with a YIG/Pt bilayer, where only the Pt layer is electrically conducting, but for which spin Hall magnetoresistance makes an additional contribution to the measured signal. The signal obtained from the multilayered stack containing the AFM NiO layer is found to contain additional contributions due to anisotropic magnetoresistance. By exciting the sample with out-of-plane rf magnetic field and making measurements with a static field applied at different orientations within the plane of the sample, a signal associated with the dc spin current may be identified.

Automated summary

The method presented in this study detects the propagation of spin current through an epitaxial antiferromagnetic NiO layer using spin pumping and the inverse spin Hall effect, with additional contributions from anisotropic magnetoresistance. Exciting the sample with out-of-plane rf magnetic field and measuring with a static field applied at different orientations allows for the identification of a signal associated with the dc spin current.