Current-Driven Magnetization Reversal in Co/Cu/Co Pillars

Katine, Albert, Buhrman, Myers & Ralph, "Current-Driven Magnetization Reversal and Spin-Wave Excitations in Co/Cu/Co Pillars" (Physical Review Letters 84, 3149-3152, 3 April 2000; DOI 10.1103/PhysRevLett.84.3149). Using thin-film pillars about 100 nm in diameter, with two Co layers of different thicknesses separated by a Cu spacer, the authors show that spin-polarized currents flowing perpendicular to the layers cause controlled reversal of the moment of the thin Co layer, and that the well-defined geometry permits a quantitative analysis of this spin-transfer effect and tests of competing theories for its mechanism. In large applied magnetic fields the current no longer fully reverses the moment but stimulates spin-wave excitations. The experimental counterpart to the spin-transfer-torque prediction in the 1996 node. Tsoi et al., "Excitation of a Magnetic Multilayer by an Electric Current" (Physical Review Letters 80, 4281, 1998; OpenAlex W2038682136) is a related earlier experiment under precedence review and is not merged into this node.