Enhancement of Damping-Like Field and Field-Free Switching in Pt/(Co/Pt)/PtMn Trilayer Films Prepared in the Presence of an In Situ Magnetic Field

The current-induced magnetization switching and damping-like field in Pt/(Co/Pt)/PtMn trilayer films prepared with and without an in situ in-plane field of 600 Oe have been studied systematically. In the presence of the in situ field, a small in-plane bias field (HEB) is observed for films with PtMn thickness ≥5 nm, while there is no observable HEB for PtMn thickness ≤3 nm. Nevertheless, a field-free switching of perpendicular magnetization of Co/Pt is observed for all the films with the PtMn thickness of 1–7 nm. On the other hand, without the presence of the in situ field, HEB and field-free switching are not seen. Furthermore, the damping-like fields (HDL) are much enhanced in the presence of the in situ field, and the increasement can be up to 47%. We further revealed that the spin current is mainly from the Pt layer, while the noncollinear spin configuration at the interface caused by the in situ in-plane field may play a role in the HDL enhancement. Micromagnetic simulations indicate that the canting of antiferromagnet PtMn spins plays an important role in the field-free switching. Our findings clarify the source of spin current in the trilayer films and provide an easier approach to field-free switching and HDL enhancement for future low-power spintronic devices.