Harnessing synergy of spin and orbital currents in heavy metal/ferromagnet multilayers

Abstract

Spin-orbitronics, exploiting electron spin and/or orbital angular momentum, offers a powerful route to energy-efficient spintronic applications. Recent research on orbital currents in light metals broadens the scope of spin-orbit torque (SOT). However, distinguishing and manipulating orbital torque in heavy metal/ferromagnet (HM/FM) remains a challenge, limiting the promising synergy of spin and orbital currents. Here, we design a HM/FM/FMSOC heterostructure and experimentally separate orbital torque contribution from spin torque by utilizing the distinct diffusion length of spin and orbital currents. Furthermore, we achieve the synergy of spin and orbital torques by controlling their relative strength, and obtain a 110% improvement in torque efficiency compared to the representative Pt/Co bilayer. Our findings not only contribute to a deeper understanding of SOT mechanisms and orbital current transport in HM/FM multilayers, but also highlight the promising prospect of orbital and spin torque synergy for optimizing the efficiency of next-generation spintronic devices. Eliminating the interference of spin current to distinguish and manipulate orbital torque in heavy metal/ferromagnet (HM/FM) heterojunction remains a challenge. Here, the authors design a HM/FM/FMSOC multilayer to separate orbital torque contribution and harness the synergy of spin and orbital currents for enhanced spin-orbit torque.