Spin–Orbit Torque Booster in an Antiferromagnet via Facilitating a Global Antiferromagnetic Order: A Route toward an Energy-Efficient Memory

Spin transport and the associated spin torque effects in antiferromagnets (AFMs) are scientifically interesting but have remained elusive due to the varied observations of spin transport in AFMs. This study revisits the role of a global Néel order in nickel oxide (NiO) facilitated through a spin–orbit torque (SOT) and examines the enhanced SOT efficiency in a heavy metal (W)/AFM (NiO)/ferromagnet (FM, CoFeB) trilayer with varying NiO thicknesses ranging from 1 to 5 nm. At the as-grown state, the Néel order of NiO is randomly oriented due to the polycrystalline nature of the film structure, leading to increased spin absorption and blocking spin transport from the adjacent W layer. When the spin current amplitude exceeds a threshold value, SOT enables reorientation of the Néel order in NiO to an equilibrium state, forming a global Néel order aligned with the applied current. This long-range Néel order reduces spin absorption and enhances spin transport through NiO, hence boosting the SOT efficiency in the adjacent CoFeB layer. X-ray magnetic linear dichroism spectroscopy and rewritable Néel order reorientation experiments in a device with orthogonal geometry confirmed the strong correlation between the global Néel order facilitation and the boosted SOT efficiency, which is enhanced larger than 4-fold for both damping- and field-like torques in the trilayer with 5 nm NiO. This study not only reveals the strong correlation between globally facilitated Néel order and spin transport in NiO but also offers a promising manner to promote AFM-based SOT devices toward energy-efficient computing technology.