Details

Speaker:
Dr. Paul Noël, IPCMS Strasbourg

Rashba interfaces and topological insulators for spin-charge current interconversion

Spin current manipulation in spintronic requires finding an efficient way to transform charge currents into spin currents, and vice-versa. If classical spintronics generally relies on magnetic materials, the spin manipulation can also be achieved by harnessing the Spin Orbit Coupling in non-magnetic materials. For instance, the Spin Hall Effect permits to convert charge currents into spin currents in the bulk of heavy metals, such as Pt or Ta. Yet a more efficient conversion is expected through the Edelstein Effect at Rashba Interfaces and at the surface of topological insulators.

In this talk I will first introduce the direct and inverse Edelstein effect and explain how it can be used for the efficient manipulation and detection of the magnetic state of an adjacent ferromagnet. I will give a brief literature review on recent achievements in the field and show experimental results on the oxide based Rashba interfaces and on the topological insulators α-Sn and BiSb. Finally, I will present the limitations of these systems for efficient spin-charge current interconversion and their potential for applications.