Ultrathin tungsten films enabling enhanced electrical response to spin currents.

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Title: Ultrathin tungsten films enabling enhanced electrical response to spin currents.
Authors: Morales-Aragonés, José Ignacio1 (AUTHOR), Groen, Inge2 (AUTHOR), Hueso, Luis E2,3 (AUTHOR), Casanova, Fèlix2,3 (AUTHOR), Pardo, José Ángel1,4,5 (AUTHOR), Sánchez-Azqueta, Carlos6 (AUTHOR), De Teresa, José María1,7 (AUTHOR) deteresa@unizar.es, Sangiao, Soraya1,4,7 (AUTHOR) sangiao@unizar.es
Source: Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics. 2026, Vol. 59 Issue 17, p1-12. 12p.
Subjects: Spin Hall effect, Tungsten, Thin films, Spin-polarized currents, Spintronics, Electric conductivity
Abstract: The efficient detection of spin currents is crucial for the development of next-generation spintronic devices. Here, we demonstrate that ultrathin W layers, with thicknesses down to 2 nm—equivalent to only four atomic planes—allow for highly efficient spin-to-charge conversion. From spin pumping experiments in YIG/W bilayers, we analyzed the inverse spin Hall effect (SHE) voltage dependence on W thickness and extracted a spin Hall conductivity of σ S H = − 1.14 (6) × 10 5 Ω − 1 m − 1 , yielding effective spin Hall angles ranging from − 0.27 (4) to − 0.88 (4) over the investigated thickness range. Furthermore, assuming the Elliott–Yafet spin scattering mechanism dominates, we estimate a spin diffusion length λ s d = 4.3 (5) × 10 − 15 Ω m 2 / ρ W , where the W resistivity ρ W is strongly dependent on thickness. Structural characterization, together with room-temperature electrical resistivity measurements and the high spin-to-charge conversion efficiency observed, confirms the stabilization of the β -phase in these ultrathin W layers. We demonstrate that the monotonic increase of the inverse SHE voltage with decreasing W thickness persists down to 2-nm-thick W layer, reflecting the extremely short spin diffusion length. This allows for efficient spin-current detection in W layers below 5 nm, effectively doubling the voltage output at half the thickness. In the thinnest sample, a continuous 2-nm-thick W layer, the generated voltage exceeds 0.5 mV—well within the operating range of conventional electronics. These findings demonstrate not only the feasibility of spin-current detection in ultrathin W, but also its compatibility with conventional electronics. They highlight the strong potential of integrating ultrathin W layers with high-quality YIG films for the development of energy-efficient spintronic devices and sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics is the property of IOP Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Label: Title
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  Data: Ultrathin tungsten films enabling enhanced electrical response to spin currents.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Morales-Aragonés%2C+José+Ignacio%22">Morales-Aragonés, José Ignacio</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Groen%2C+Inge%22">Groen, Inge</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Hueso%2C+Luis+E%22">Hueso, Luis E</searchLink><relatesTo>2,3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Casanova%2C+Fèlix%22">Casanova, Fèlix</searchLink><relatesTo>2,3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Pardo%2C+José+Ángel%22">Pardo, José Ángel</searchLink><relatesTo>1,4,5</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sánchez-Azqueta%2C+Carlos%22">Sánchez-Azqueta, Carlos</searchLink><relatesTo>6</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22De+Teresa%2C+José+María%22">De Teresa, José María</searchLink><relatesTo>1,7</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> deteresa@unizar.es</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sangiao%2C+Soraya%22">Sangiao, Soraya</searchLink><relatesTo>1,4,7</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> sangiao@unizar.es</i>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Physics+D%3A+Applied+Physics%22">Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics</searchLink>. 2026, Vol. 59 Issue 17, p1-12. 12p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Spin+Hall+effect%22">Spin Hall effect</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tungsten%22">Tungsten</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Thin+films%22">Thin films</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Spin-polarized+currents%22">Spin-polarized currents</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Spintronics%22">Spintronics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Electric+conductivity%22">Electric conductivity</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: The efficient detection of spin currents is crucial for the development of next-generation spintronic devices. Here, we demonstrate that ultrathin W layers, with thicknesses down to 2 nm—equivalent to only four atomic planes—allow for highly efficient spin-to-charge conversion. From spin pumping experiments in YIG/W bilayers, we analyzed the inverse spin Hall effect (SHE) voltage dependence on W thickness and extracted a spin Hall conductivity of σ S H = − 1.14 (6) × 10 5 Ω − 1 m − 1 , yielding effective spin Hall angles ranging from − 0.27 (4) to − 0.88 (4) over the investigated thickness range. Furthermore, assuming the Elliott–Yafet spin scattering mechanism dominates, we estimate a spin diffusion length λ s d = 4.3 (5) × 10 − 15 Ω m 2 / ρ W , where the W resistivity ρ W is strongly dependent on thickness. Structural characterization, together with room-temperature electrical resistivity measurements and the high spin-to-charge conversion efficiency observed, confirms the stabilization of the β -phase in these ultrathin W layers. We demonstrate that the monotonic increase of the inverse SHE voltage with decreasing W thickness persists down to 2-nm-thick W layer, reflecting the extremely short spin diffusion length. This allows for efficient spin-current detection in W layers below 5 nm, effectively doubling the voltage output at half the thickness. In the thinnest sample, a continuous 2-nm-thick W layer, the generated voltage exceeds 0.5 mV—well within the operating range of conventional electronics. These findings demonstrate not only the feasibility of spin-current detection in ultrathin W, but also its compatibility with conventional electronics. They highlight the strong potential of integrating ultrathin W layers with high-quality YIG films for the development of energy-efficient spintronic devices and sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics is the property of IOP Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1088/1361-6463/ae5dde
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 12
        StartPage: 1
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Spin Hall effect
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Tungsten
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Thin films
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Spin-polarized currents
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Spintronics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Electric conductivity
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Ultrathin tungsten films enabling enhanced electrical response to spin currents.
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            NameFull: Morales-Aragonés, José Ignacio
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            NameFull: Groen, Inge
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            NameFull: Hueso, Luis E
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            NameFull: Sánchez-Azqueta, Carlos
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            – D: 01
              M: 05
              Text: 2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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            – TitleFull: Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics
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