Functional magnetic multilayers are particularly interesting for enabling many emerging spintronic physics, including spin–orbit torque (SOT), magnetic proximity effect (MPE), and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), among many others. A comprehension of these spintronic phenomena is vital for the development of advanced spintronic materials and devices. Here, we investigate the interplay between the MPE and the current-induced SOT switching in the perpendicularly magnetized Pt/[Co/Pd]K multilayers (with K being the number of repetitions). In particular, we find evidence of the MPE-induced magnetism in the [Co/Pd]9 multilayers by revealing the boosted saturation magnetization (Ms) from 1400 to 2450 emu/cc. By conducting a current-induced SOT switching experiment in these multilayers, we observe a substantial suppression of the SOT switching ratio. The underlying physics is attributed to the rapid …
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsnano.5c06890