Ultrahigh efficient spin orbit torque magnetization switching in fully sputtered topological insulator and ferromagnet multilayers

Spin orbit torque (SOT) magnetization switching of ferromagnets with large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy has a great potential for the next generation non-volatile magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM). It requires a high performance pure spin current source with a large spin Hall angle and high electrical conductivity, which can be fabricated by a mass production technique. In this work, we demonstrate ultrahigh efficient and robust SOT magnetization switching in fully sputtered BiSb topological insulator and perpendicularly magnetized Co/Pt multilayers. Despite fabricated by the magnetron sputtering instead of the laboratory molecular beam epitaxy, the topological insulator layer, BiSb, shows a large spin Hall angle of theta(SH) = 10.7 and high electrical conductivity of sigma = 1.5 x 10(5) omega(-1) m(-1). Our results demonstrate the feasibility of BiSb topological insulator for implementation of ultralow power SOT-MRAM and other SOT-based spintronic devices.

Automated summary

In this work, ultrahigh efficient and robust SOT magnetization switching is demonstrated in fully sputtered BiSb topological insulator and perpendicularly magnetized Co/Pt multilayers. Despite being fabricated by magnetron sputtering, the BiSb topological insulator shows a large spin Hall angle and high electrical conductivity, proving its potential for ultralow power SOT-MRAM and other SOT-based spintronic devices.