Possible route to low current, high speed, dynamic switching in a perpendicular anisotropy CoFeB-MgO junction using Spin Hall Effect of Ta

We have experimentally demonstrated a significant control of magnetic anisotropy in a CoFeB-MgO junction using Spin Hall Effect (SHE) in underlying Ta layer. We developed a model that reproduces the experimentally observed unique switching behavior of SHE based spin torque. Using this model, we show that the dynamics of switching for SHE is qualitatively different from conventional STT. Taking advantage of this dynamics we show that it is possible to dynamically switch magnets at sub 10 ns speeds without increasing the current amplitude from what is necessary for steady state switching. We show this behavior in two different settings -one appropriate for reducing write power in memory and other for reducing clock power in spintronic logic applications.