Determination of penetration depth of transverse spin current in ferromagnetic metals by spin pumping

Spin pumping in nonmagnetic/ferromagnetic metal multilayers is studied both theoretically and experimentally. We show that the line widths of the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spectrum depend on the thickness of the ferromagnetic metal layers, which must not be in resonance with the oscillating magnetic field. We also show that the penetration depths of the transverse spin current in ferromagnetic metals can be determined by analyzing the line widths of their FMR spectra. The obtained penetration depths in NiFe, CoFe, and CoFeB were 3.7, 2.5, and 12.0 nm, respectively. (C) 2008 The Japan Society of Applied Physics.