We study the flow of a pure spin current through zinc oxide by measuring the spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) in thin film trilayer samples consisting of bismuth-substituted yttrium iron garnet (Bi:YIG), gallium-doped zinc oxide (Ga:ZnO), and platinum. We investigate the dependence of the SMR magnitude on the thickness of the Ga:ZnO interlayer and compare to a Bi:YIG/Pt bilayer. We find that the SMR magnitude is reduced by almost one order of magnitude upon inserting a Ga:ZnO interlayer and continuously decreases with increasing interlayer thickness. Nevertheless, the SMR stays finite even for a thick Ga:ZnO interlayer. These results show that a pure spin current indeed can propagate through a several nm-thick degenerately doped zinc oxide layer. We also observe differences in both the temperature and the field dependence of the SMR when comparing tri- and bilayers. Finally, we compare our data to the predictions of a model based on spin diffusion. This shows that interface resistances play a crucial role for the SMR magnitude in these trilayer structures.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
30 January 2017
Research Article|
February 02 2017
Pure spin current transport in gallium doped zinc oxide
Matthias Althammer
;
Matthias Althammer
a)
1
Walther-Meißner-Institut
, Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 85748 Garching, Germany
2Physik-Department,
Technische Universität München
, 85748 Garching, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Joynarayan Mukherjee
;
Joynarayan Mukherjee
3Department of Physics, Nano Functional Materials Technology Centre and Materials Science Research Centre,
Indian Institute of Technology Madras
, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600036, India
Search for other works by this author on:
Stephan Geprägs;
Stephan Geprägs
1
Walther-Meißner-Institut
, Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 85748 Garching, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Sebastian T. B. Goennenwein;
Sebastian T. B. Goennenwein
1
Walther-Meißner-Institut
, Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 85748 Garching, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Matthias Opel;
Matthias Opel
1
Walther-Meißner-Institut
, Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 85748 Garching, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
M. S. Ramachandra Rao;
M. S. Ramachandra Rao
3Department of Physics, Nano Functional Materials Technology Centre and Materials Science Research Centre,
Indian Institute of Technology Madras
, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600036, India
Search for other works by this author on:
Rudolf Gross
Rudolf Gross
1
Walther-Meißner-Institut
, Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 85748 Garching, Germany
2Physik-Department,
Technische Universität München
, 85748 Garching, Germany
4
Nanosystems Initiative Munich (NIM)
, 80799 München, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
a)
Electronic mail: matthias.althammer@wmi.badw.de
Appl. Phys. Lett. 110, 052403 (2017)
Article history
Received:
September 11 2016
Accepted:
January 20 2017
Citation
Matthias Althammer, Joynarayan Mukherjee, Stephan Geprägs, Sebastian T. B. Goennenwein, Matthias Opel, M. S. Ramachandra Rao, Rudolf Gross; Pure spin current transport in gallium doped zinc oxide. Appl. Phys. Lett. 30 January 2017; 110 (5): 052403. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4975372
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionPay-Per-View Access
$40.00