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The conditions whereby epitaxy is achieved are commonly believed to be mostly governed by misfit strain. We report on a systematic investigation of growth and interface structure of single crystalline tungsten thin films on two different metal oxide substrates, Al₂O₃ (11‾20) and MgO (001). We demonstrate that despite a significant mismatch, enhanced crystal quality is observed for tungsten grown on the sapphire substrates. This is promoted by stronger adhesion and chemical bonding with sapphire compared to magnesium oxide, along with the restructuring of the tungsten layers close to the interface. The latter is supported by ab initio calculations using density functional theory. Finally, we demonstrate the growth of magnetic heterostructures consisting of high-quality tungsten layers in combination with ferromagnetic CoFe layers, which are relevant for spintronic applications.

A detailed understanding of the different mechanisms being responsible for terahertz (THz) emission in ferromagnetic (FM) materials will aid in designing efficient THz emitters. In this report, we present direct evidence of THz emission from single layer Co0.4Fe0.4B0.2 (CoFeB) FM thin films. The dominant mechanism being responsible for the THz emission is the anomalous Hall effect (AHE), which is an effect of a net backflow current in the FM layer created by the spin polarized current reflected at the interfaces of the FM layer. The THz emission from the AHE-based CoFeB emitter is optimized by varying its thickness, orientation, and pump fluence of the laser beam. Results from electrical transport measurements show that skew scattering of charge carriers is responsible for the THz emission in the CoFeB AHE-based THz emitter.

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have immense potential for spintronics applications. Here, we report atomic layer thickness dependence in WS2/Co-3 FeB heterostructures. The layer dependence is predicted by density functional theory and demonstrated experimentally by the layer dependence of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI). Notably, we have observed the DMI in WS2 to be larger than that for heavy metals such as W and Ta, which is important to stabilize chiral structures. Inversion symmetry is not preserved with an odd number of layers, while it exists with an even number of layers. This symmetry rule is reflected in the temperature dependence of the effective damping parameter of the heterostructure. That the damping parameter decreases (increases) in odd (even) layers can be resolved at low temperature. This suggests that the layer dependence has its origin at the WS2 interface, where the spin-valley coupling and spin-orbit coupling activate these features. Large DMI, pure spin current, and unique layer dependence in TMDs provide valuable information and fundamental understanding for designing TMD-based quantum information storage devices.

To achieve a large terahertz (THz) amplitude from a spintronic THz emitter (STE), materials with 100% spin polarisation such as Co-based Heusler compounds as ferromagnetic layer are required. However, these compounds are known to loose their half-metallicity in the ultrathin film regime, as it is difficult to achieve L2(1) ordering, which has become a bottleneck for the film growth. Here, the successful deposition using room temperature DC sputtering of the L2(1) and B2 ordered phases of the Co2FeAl full Heusler compound is reported. Co2FeAl is used as ferromagnetic layer together with highly orientated Pt as nonferromagnetic layer in the Co2FeAl/Pt STE, where an MgO (10 nm) seed layer plays an important role to achieve the L2(1) and B2 ordering of Co2FeAl. The THz generation in the Co2FeAl/Pt STE is presented, which has a bandwidth of 0.2-4 THz. The THz electric field amplitude is optimized with respect to thickness, orientation, and growth parameters using a thickness dependent model considering the optically induced spin current, superdiffusive spin current, inverse spin Hall effect, and the THz attenuation in the layers. This study, based on the full Heusler Co2FeAl compound opens up a plethora of possibilities in STE research involving full Heusler compounds.

The transition metal dichalcogenide 1T-TaS₂ is known to exhibit a number of collective electronic states known as charge density wave (CDW) instabilities. Intriguing phenomena such as a large damping-like spin−orbit torque (SOT) have been reported in monolayer 1T-TaS₂ [Nano Lett. 2020, 20 (9), 6372−6380]. Probing of CDWs in monolayer thick 1T-TaS₂ has been an inconceivable task. Here, the temperature-dependent spin dynamics and the effect of CDWs in the 1T-TaS₂(monolayer)/Ni₈₁Fe₁₉(Py) (7 nm) heterostructure are reported. Employing ferromagnetic resonance, the effect of the different commensurate (C) and nearly commensurate (NC) CDW states on the spin dynamics during heating and cooling cycles has been characterized by use of the effective damping constant and the spin mixing conductance of the heterostructure. In addition, these CCDW and NCCDW states, which affect the SOT efficiencies due to damping- and field-like SOTs, have been evaluated by using angle-dependent planar Hall effect measurements in controlled cooling and heating cycles. Our findings provide a fundamental understanding of the effect of different CDW states on the spin dynamics in twodimensional 1T-TaS₂ monolayer interfaced Py.

The choice of the substrate plays an important role for spintronic terahertz (THz) emitters (STEs). We have grown epitaxial Pt/Fe bilayer thin films on MgO and MgAl₂O₄ substrates. The THz electric field amplitude is found to be larger when Pt/Feis is grown on MgO even though the crystal quality of the Fe film is better when grown on MgAl2O4. This study indicates that the Fecrystal quality affects the THz emission in Pt/Fe STEs and points to the importance of a careful choice of the substrate to enhance the THz amplitude in STEs.

Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in two-dimensional (2D) materials has emerged as a powerful tool for designing spintronic devices. On the one hand, the interest in this respect for graphene, the most popular 2D material with numerous fascinating and exciting properties, is fading due to the absence of SOC. On the other hand, 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are known to exhibit rich physics including large SOC. TMDs have been used for decades in a variety of applications such as nano-electronics, photonics, optoelectronics, sensing, and recently also in spintronics. Here, we review the current progress in research on 2D TMDs for generating spin-orbit torques in spin-logic devices. Several challenges connecting to thin film growth, film thickness, layer symmetry, and transport properties and their impact on the efficiency of spintronic devices are reviewed. How different TMDs generate spin-orbit torques in magnetic heterostructures is discussed in detail. Relevant aspects for improving the quality of the thin film growth as well as the efficiency of the generated spin-orbit torques are discussed together with future perspectives in the field of spin-orbitronics.

We have deposited polycrystalline Re-doped (Fe₆₅Co₃₅)(_100-x)Re_x (0 ≤ x ≤ 12.6 at. %) thin films grown under identical conditions and sandwiched between thin layers of Ru in order to study the phenomenon of spin pumping as a function of Re concentration. In-plane and out-of-plane ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy results show an enhancement of the Gilbert damping with an increase in Re doping. We find 98% enhancement in the real part of effective spin mixing conductance [Re(g^↑↓_eff)] with Re doping. Conversely, the Re(g^↑↓_eff) does not change with Re doping in Fe₆₅Co₃₅ thin films which are seeded and capped with Cu layers. The enhancement in Re(g^↑↓_eff) of Re-doped Fe₆₅Co₃₅ thin films sandwiched between thin layers of Ru is linked to the Re doping-induced change of the interface electronic structure in the nonmagnetic Ru layer. The saturation magnetization decreases 35% with increasing Re doping up to 12.6 at. %. This study opens a direction of tuning the spin mixing conductance in magnetic heterostructures by doping of the ferromagnetic layer, which is essential for the realization of energyefficient operation of spintronic devices.

Spin-orbit torques in ferromagnetic/non-magnetic heterostructures offer more energy-efficient means to realize spin-logic devices; however, their strengths are determined by the heterostructure interface. This work examines the impact of crystal orientation on the spin-orbit torque efficiency in different Fe/Pd bilayer systems. Results from spin torque ferromagnetic resonance measurements evidence that the damping-like torque efficiency is higher in epitaxial than in polycrystalline bilayer structures while the field-like torque is negligible in all bilayer structures. The strength of the damping-like torque decreases with deterioration of the bilayer epitaxial quality. The present finding provides fresh insight for the enhancement of spin-orbit torques in magnetic heterostructures.

A damping-like spin-orbit torque (SOT) is a prerequisite for ultralow-power spin logic devices. Here, we report on the damping-like SOT in just one monolayer of the conducting transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) TaS2 interfaced with a NiFe (Py) ferromagnetic layer. The charge-spin conversion efficiency is found to be 0.25 +/- 0.03 in TaS2(0.88)/Py(7), and the spin Hall conductivity (14.9 x 10(s) h/2e Omega(-1) m(-1) is found to be superior to values reported for other TMDs. We also observed sizable field-like torque in this heterostructure. The origin of this large damping-like SOT can be found in the interfacial properties of the TaS2/Py heterostructure, and the experimental findings are complemented by the results from density functional theory calculations. It is envisioned that the interplay between interfacial spinorbit coupling and crystal symmetry yielding large damping-like SOT. The dominance of damping-like torque demonstrated in our study provides a promising path for designing the next-generation conducting TMD-based low-powered quantum memory devices.