Magnetization reversal and spin accumulation in nonmagnetic metals by spin injection from lateral Co/Cu, Co/Al heterojunctions

We have fabricated ferromagnetic/nonmagnetic (FM/NM) metal heterojunctions for the detection of the spin accumulation effect in different nonmagnetic metals. To understand the effect of spin accumulation in more detail, the switching behavior of the ferromagnetic wires was studied by means of magnetoresistance (MR) measurements and Monte Carlo simulations (MC). The polycrystalline heterojunctions were prepared by high-resolution electron beam lithography (HR-EBL) and a special oblique evaporation technique. The ferromagnetic (FM) and the nonmagnetic (NM) metal were evaporated on top of each other in a single-evaporation step to achieve an interface between the two metals of high quality. To verify the quality of the interface, we measured the spin accumulation effect in nonmagnetic copper (Cu) and aluminum (Al) and determined the spin polarization of the current at the interface between the ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic metals.