Generation of spin currents with light and spin Seebeck effect

ORAL

Abstract

The spin Seebeck effect (SSE) refers to the generation of a spin voltage in a material in the presence of a thermal gradient. This presentation reports on the use of light to induce the SSE. Experiments used a tri-layered sample that consisted of a 5.9-$\mu$m-thick yttrium iron garnet (YIG) film grown on a 0.5-mm-thick gadolinium gallium garnet substrate and capped with a 3.8-nm-thick Pt layer. The sample sat on an aluminum heat sink and was exposed to the light from a 100 W incandescent light bulb. A magnetic field was applied in the plane to bias the YIG film. The light produces a thermal gradient across the sample thickness which produces, through the SSE, a spin current that flows from the YIG/Pt interface into the Pt layer. Via the inverse spin Hall effect, the spin current generates an electric voltage across one of the lateral dimensions of the Pt layer. It was found that the voltage varied with time in sync with the temperature gradient. The voltage amplitude had linear dependence on light intensity and showed sinusoidal dependence when the magnetic field was rotated in the plane for one cycle. The voltage changed its sign as the field switched its polarity.

–

Authors

  • David Ellsworth

    Colorado State Univ

  • Benjamin Bloom

    Department of Physics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Langmuir Laboratory, New Mexico Tech, The University of Arizona, Brigham Young University, Department of Physics Colorado State University, Colorado School of Mines, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, University of Colorado Boulder, Principal Investigator, Graduate Student, Colorado State University, SSRL, SLAC, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, Colorado State Univ, JILA, University of Colorado at Boulder, NIST, JILA, University of Colorado at Boulder, Heinrich-Heine-Universitat, Department of Physics, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO 80217, Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, The University Centre in Svalbard, Utah State University, Utah Valley University, New Mexico State University, The George Washington University Nuclear Physics Research Group, Institute for Nuclear Physics at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, None, Colorado State Engineering Research Center, St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University in Saint Petersburg, Russia, University of California San Diego, Argonne National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Imperial College London, Space Dynamics Lab, Utah State University, Physics and CASS, Utah State University, Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, Department of Physics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, Dept. of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Denver, CU Boulder, RASEI, NREL, University of Colorado, Rutgers, UTK, Joint Institute for Heavy Ion Research \& ORNL, University of Guelph, Insitituto de Estructura de la Materia, University of Toronto, INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, University of York, University of Surrey, TRIUMF, Simon Frasier University, Universdad de Sevilla, Simon Fraser University, Univ of Utah, Univ of Wyoming, New Mexico Tech, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, IBM Systems and Technology Group, IBM Research Division, Irvine Valley College, University of Colorado - Boulder, Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, Department of Physics, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Flint, MI, High Altitude Observatory, JILA, University of Colorado

  • Benjamin Bloom

    Department of Physics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Langmuir Laboratory, New Mexico Tech, The University of Arizona, Brigham Young University, Department of Physics Colorado State University, Colorado School of Mines, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, University of Colorado Boulder, Principal Investigator, Graduate Student, Colorado State University, SSRL, SLAC, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, Colorado State Univ, JILA, University of Colorado at Boulder, NIST, JILA, University of Colorado at Boulder, Heinrich-Heine-Universitat, Department of Physics, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO 80217, Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, The University Centre in Svalbard, Utah State University, Utah Valley University, New Mexico State University, The George Washington University Nuclear Physics Research Group, Institute for Nuclear Physics at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, None, Colorado State Engineering Research Center, St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University in Saint Petersburg, Russia, University of California San Diego, Argonne National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Imperial College London, Space Dynamics Lab, Utah State University, Physics and CASS, Utah State University, Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, Department of Physics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, Dept. of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Denver, CU Boulder, RASEI, NREL, University of Colorado, Rutgers, UTK, Joint Institute for Heavy Ion Research \& ORNL, University of Guelph, Insitituto de Estructura de la Materia, University of Toronto, INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, University of York, University of Surrey, TRIUMF, Simon Frasier University, Universdad de Sevilla, Simon Fraser University, Univ of Utah, Univ of Wyoming, New Mexico Tech, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, IBM Systems and Technology Group, IBM Research Division, Irvine Valley College, University of Colorado - Boulder, Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, Department of Physics, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Flint, MI, High Altitude Observatory, JILA, University of Colorado