Topological Insulators for Efficient Spin-Orbit Torques

Spintronics research based on topological insulators (TIs) has shown rapid progress during the past decade. Due to the strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and particularly the spin-momentum locked Dirac states on the surface, TIs are expected to be very promising materials for spintronic applications ranging from ultralow power memory/logic devices to new ultrafast computation technologies. In this digest, I will review the progress on TI-based spintronics. In particular, I will review the experiments on magnetization switching through giant spin-orbit torques (SOT) in various TI-based magnetic systems. The SOT efficiency and switching features in these structures will be discussed. The large SOT and efficient current-induced magnetization switching exhibited by the TI-based structures may lead to innovative spintronic applications such as ultralow-power dissipation memory/logic devices.