Controllable Spin-Transfer Torque on an Antiferromagnet in a Dual Spin-Valve

Abstract

We consider current-induced spin-transfer torque on an antiferromagnet in a dual spin-valve setup. It is demonstrated that a net magnetization may be induced in the AFM by partially or completely aligning the sublattice magnetizations via a current-induced spin-transfer torque. This effect occurs for current densities ranging below 10${}^6$ A/cm${}^2$. The direction of the induced magnetization in the AFM is shown to be efficiently controlled by means of the magnetic configuration of the spin-valve setup, with the anti-parallell configuration yielding the largest spin-transfer torque. Interestingly, the magnetization switching time-scale ${\tau }_{\text{switch}}$ itself has a strong, non-monotonic dependence on the spin-valve configuration. These results may point toward new ways to incorporate AFMs in spintronic devices in order to obtain novel types of functionality.

5 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B

References in corpus (6)

• Spin transfer and current-induced switching in antiferromagnets
• Phenomenology of Current-Induced Dynamics in Antiferromagnets
• Spin transfer in an antiferromagnet
• Spin-transfer torques in anti-ferromagnetic metals from first principles
• Effect of Polarized Current on the Magnetic State of Antiferromagnet
• Current-induced dynamics in non-collinear dual spin-valves

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• Chirality Sensitive Domain Wall Motion in Spin-Orbit Coupled Ferromagnets
• Cross effect of magnetic field and charge current on antiferromagnetic dynamics
• Current induced magnetization dynamics and magnetization switching in superconducting ferromagnetic hybrid (F$|$S$|$F) structures
• Spin torque antiferromagnetic nanooscillator in the presence of magnetic noise
• Emergent impedance due to antiferromagnetic domain wall dynamics