SrIrO3 with its large spin-orbit coupling and low charge conductivity has emerged as a potential candidate for efficient spin-orbit torque magnetization control in spintronic devices. We here report on the influence of an interfacial oxide layer on spin pumping experiments in Ni80Fe20 (NiFe)/SrIrO3 bilayer heterostructures. To investigate this scenario we have carried out broadband ferromagnetic resonance (BBFMR) measurements, which indicate the presence of an interfacial antiferromagnetic oxide layer. We performed in-plane BBFMR experiments at cryogenic temperatures, which allowed us to simultaneously study dynamic spin pumping properties (Gilbert damping) and static magnetic properties (such as the effective magnetization and magnetic anisotropy). The results for NiFe/SrIrO3 bilayer thin films were analyzed and compared to those from a NiFe/NbN/SrIrO3 trilayer reference sample, where a spin-transparent, ultra-thin NbN layer was inserted to prevent oxidation of NiFe. At low temperatures, we observe substantial differences in the magnetization dynamics parameters of these samples, which can be explained by an antiferromagnetic interfacial layer in the NiFe/SrIrO3 bilayers.
@article{arxiv.2005.03727,
title = {Effect of interfacial oxidation layer in spin pumping experiments on Ni$_{80}$Fe$_{20}$/SrIrO$_3$ heterostructures},
author = {T. S. Suraj and Manuel Müller and Sarah Gelder and Stephan Geprägs and Matthias Opel and Mathias Weiler and K. Sethupathi and Hans Huebl and Rudolf Gross and M. S. Ramachandra Rao and Matthias Althammer},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2005.03727},
year = {2020}
}