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Spin relaxation at sputtered metallic interfaces

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Abstract

We review published experimental information about spin relaxation at sputtered metal/metal interfaces, considering separately interfaces between two non-magnetic (N) metals and ones involving one or two ferromagnetic (F) metals. Such spin relaxation is described by a parameter δ, where the probability of spin relaxation in crossing an interface is P=(1−exp(−δ)). \(\delta_{\mathrm{N1/N2}}\) for interfaces between two different N metals varies substantially from one metal pair to another. Assuming spin–orbit scattering to dominate, one might expect \(\delta_{\mathrm{N1/N2}}\) to correlate with the difference in atomic numbers between the two metals, but any such correlation is not clear. \(\delta_{\mathrm{F/N}}\) and \(\delta_{\mathrm{F1/F2}}\) between F and N metals, or between two different F metals, seem to vary less for the pairs so far studied. Understanding of δ in any of these cases is still lacking.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by the NSF under grant DMR08-04126 and by the Korean Institute of Science and Technology (KIST).

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  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    H. Y. T. Nguyen, W. P. Pratt Jr. & J. Bass

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  1. H. Y. T. Nguyen
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Correspondence to J. Bass.

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Nguyen, H.Y.T., Pratt, W.P. & Bass, J. Spin relaxation at sputtered metallic interfaces. Appl. Phys. A 111, 361–367 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-012-7494-1

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