SPIN TRANSPORT THEORY IN MULTILAYER HETEROSTRUCTURES

Abstract

Spin transport theory in multilayer heterostructures gives insights in understanding the underlying physics and optimizing the performance of the spintronics devices, in which the spin-orbit coupling plays the essential role in inducing spin polarization and generating spin-orbit torques (SOTs). The resulting SOTs give prospective applications in realizing current-induced magnetization switching, persistent magnetization oscillation and fast domain wall motion. This thesis focuses on theoretical methods to calculate the quantum and semiclassical spin transport in magnetic heterostructures including HM, FM, AFM and FiM materials, which further extends and combines various approaches to provide the phenomenological pictures on the origin of spin torques in different multilayer structures, thereby optimizing them for the optimal spin torque efficiency.