Deterministic spin-orbit torque switching of epitaxial ferrimagnetic insulator with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy fabricated by on-axis magnetron sputtering
Roselle Ngaloy, Naoto Yamashita, Bing Zhao, Soojung Kim, Kohei Yamashita, Ivo P. C. Cools, Marlis N. Agusutrisno, Soobeom Lee, Yuichiro Kurokawa, Chun-Yeol You, Hiromi Yuasa & Saroj P. Dash（npj Spintronics3, 40 (2025))
In this study, we demonstrated the SOT magnetization switching of TmIG thin film grown by on-axis radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. We systematically investigated the effect of growth conditions on the structural and magnetic properties of TmIG films, where excellent crystallinity and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy were achieved. In the Pt/TmIG heterostructure Hall bar devices, deterministic SOT magnetization switching was observed at room temperature, with competitive spin Hall conductivity and critical current densities. Second harmonic Hall measurements were performed to quantify effective damping-like torque, which is as high as previous reports. Our results show the potential of on-axis magnetron sputtering for the fabrication of ferrimagnetic insulators with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy for spintronic memory applications.
