Journal Article

FZJ-2014-04170

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Spin relaxation and spin Hall transport in 5d transition-metal ultrathin films

Long, N. H. (Corresponding Author)FZJ* ; Mavropoulos, P.FZJ* ; Zimmermann, B.FZJ* ; Bauer, D.FZJ* ; Blügel, S.FZJ* ; Mokrousov, Y.FZJ*

2014
APS College Park, Md.

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Please use a persistent id in citations: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/9123  doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.90.064406

Abstract: The spin relaxation induced by the Elliott-Yafet mechanism and the extrinsic spin Hall conductivity due to the skew scattering are investigated in 5d transition-metal ultrathin films with self-adatom impurities as scatterers. The values of the Elliott-Yafet parameter and of the spin-flip relaxation rate reveal a correlation with each other that is in agreement with the Elliott approximation. At 10-layer thickness, the spin-flip relaxation time in 5d transition-metal films is quantitatively reported about few hundred nanoseconds at atomic percent. This time scale is one and two orders of magnitude shorter than the values in Au and Cu thin films, respectively. The anisotropy effect of the Elliott-Yafet parameter and of the spin-flip relaxation rate with respect to the direction of the spin-quantization axis in relation to the crystallographic axes is also analyzed. We find that the anisotropy of the spin-flip relaxation rate is enhanced due to the Rashba surface states on the Fermi surface, reaching values as high as 97% in 10-layer Hf(0001) film or 71% in 10-layer W(110) film. Finally, the spin Hall conductivity as well as the spin Hall angle due to the skew scattering off self-adatom impurities are calculated using the Boltzmann approach. Our calculations employ a relativistic version of the first-principles full-potential Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker Green function method.

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. Quanten-Theorie der Materialien (IAS-1)
2. Quanten-Theorie der Materialien (PGI-1)

Research Program(s):

1. 422 - Spin-based and quantum information (POF2-422) (POF2-422)

Appears in the scientific report 2014

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Database coverage:
; ; ; Current Contents - Social and Behavioral Sciences ; JCR ; Nationallizenz ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Thomson Reuters Master Journal List ; Web of Science Core Collection

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