Ultrathin Ferrimagnetic GdFeCo Films with Low Damping

Ferromagnetic materials dominate as the magnetically active element in spintronic devices, but come with drawbacks such as large stray fields and low operational frequencies. Compensated ferrimagnets provide an alternative as they combine the ultrafast magnetization dynamics of antiferromagnets with a ferromagnet-like spin-orbit-torque behavior. However, to use ferrimagnets in spintronic devices their advantageous properties must be retained also in ultrathin films (t < 10 nm). In this study, ferrimagnetic Gd-x(Fe87.5Co12.5)(1-x) thin films in the thickness range t = 2-20 nm are grown on high resistance Si(100) substrates and studied using broadband ferromagnetic resonance measurements at room temperature. By tuning their stoichiometry, a nearly compensated behavior is observed in 2 nm Gd-x(Fe87.5Co12.5)(1-x) ultrathin films for the first time, with an effective magnetization of Meff = 0.02 T and a low effective Gilbert damping constant of alpha = 0.0078, comparable to the lowest values reported so far in 30 nm films. These results show great promise for the development of ultrafast and energy efficient ferrimagnetic spintronic devices.

Automated summary

This study investigates the characteristics of ultrathin ferrimagnetic films, and for the first time, observes nearly compensated behavior in 2 nm thick Gd-x(Fe87.5Co12.5)(1-x) films, showing great potential for the development of ultrafast and energy efficient ferrimagnetic spintronic devices.