Ultrathin Ferrimagnetic GdFeCo Films with Low Damping

Abstract

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 Gdx(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 Gdx(Fe87.5Co12.5)1−x ultrathin films for the first time, with an effective magnetization of (Formula presented.) = 0.02 T and a low effective Gilbert damping constant of α = 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.