Spin–orbit torques arising from the spin–orbit coupling of non-magnetic heavy metals allow
electrical switching of perpendicular magnetization. However, the switching is not purely
electrical in laterally homogeneous structures. An extra in-plane magnetic field is indeed
required to achieve deterministic switching, and this is detrimental for device applications.
On the other hand, if antiferromagnets can generate spin–orbit torques, they may enable all-
electrical deterministic switching because the desired magnetic field may be replaced by …

In order to maintain the thermal stability of SOT devices with nanoscale size, it is desirable to
achieve current induced magnetic switching in magnetic materials with high perpendicular
anisotropy. In the present paper, current induced field-free switching of FePt/[TiN/NiFe] 5 is
achieved by interlayer exchange coupling, in which in-plane magnetized NiFe serves as a
coupling layer through a TiN space layer. The large Ku (1.03× 107 erg cc− 1) and low critical
current density values (0.17× 107 A cm− 2) show great advantages in thermal stability and …