Absence of Spin-Orbit Torque and Discovery of Anisotropic Planar Nernst Effect in CoFe Single Crystal

Exploration of exotic spin polarizations in single crystals is of increasing interest. A current of longitudinal spins, the so-called Dresselhaus-like spin current, which is forbidden in materials lacking certain inversion asymmetries, is implied to be generated by a charge current at the interface of single-crystal CoFe. This work reports unambiguous evidence that there is no indication of spin current of any spin polarizations from the interface or bulk of single-crystalline CoFe and that the sin2 & phi; second harmonic Hall voltage, which is previously assumed to signify Dresselhaus-like spin current, is not related to any spin currents but rather a planar Nernst voltage induced by a longitudinal temperature gradient within the sample. Such sin2 & phi; signal is independent of large applied magnetic fields and interfacial spin-orbit coupling, inversely correlated to the heat capacity of the substrates and overlayers, quadratic in charge current, and appears also in polycrystalline ferromagnets. Strikingly, the planar Nernst effect (PNE) in the CoFe single crystal has a strong fourfold anisotropy and varies with the crystalline orientation. Such strong, anisotropic PNE has widespread impacts on the analyses of a variety of spintronic experiments and opens a new avenue for the development of PNE-based thermoelectric battery and sensor applications.

Automated summary

This study found no evidence of spin current with any spin polarizations from the interface or bulk of single-crystalline CoFe. The sin2φ second harmonic Hall voltage, previously assumed to signify Dresselhaus-like spin current, is actually a planar Nernst voltage induced by a longitudinal temperature gradient within the sample. This signal is independent of large applied magnetic fields and interfacial spin-orbit coupling, inversely correlated to the heat capacity of the substrates and overlayers, quadratic in charge current, and appears also in polycrystalline ferromagnets. The strong fourfold anisotropic planar Nernst effect in the CoFe single crystal has widespread impacts on the analyses of various spintronic experiments and opens a new avenue for the development of PNE-based thermoelectric battery and sensor applications.