Relaxation mechanism in NiFe thin films driven by spin angular momentum absorption throughout the antiferromagnetic phase transition in native surface oxides

L. Frangou (1) , G. Forestier (1) , S. Auffret (1) , S. Gambarelli (2) , V. Baltz (1)

1 SPINTEC - SPINtronique et TEchnologie des Composants
2 SCIB - UMR E3 - Service de Chimie Inorganique et Biologique

We report an alternative mechanism for the physical origin of the temperature-dependent ferromagnetic relaxation of Permalloy (NiFe) thin films. Through spin-pumping experiments, we demonstrate that the peak in the temperature-dependence of NiFe damping can be understood in terms of enhanced spin angular momentum absorption at the magnetic phase transition in antiferromagnetic surface-oxidized layers. These results suggest new avenues for the investigation of an incompletely-understood phenomenon in physics.

Mots clés: spintronics; order fluctuation; absorption mechanisms; antiferromagnetic; phase transition

Domaines: Matière Condensée [cond-mat]

L. Frangou, G. Forestier, S. Auffret, S. Gambarelli, V. Baltz. Relaxation mechanism in NiFe thin films driven by spin angular momentum absorption throughout the antiferromagnetic phase transition in native surface oxides. Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (1998-2015), 2017, 95, pp.054416. ⟨10.1103/PhysRevB.95.054416⟩. ⟨hal-01568743v2⟩