Disentanglement of bulk and interfacial spin Hall effect in ferromagnet/normal metal interface

Spin Hall effect in PdPt alloys in contact with ferromagnetic Ni80Fe20 alloys has been studied by spin torque ferromagnetic resonance technique. The spin torque spin Hall angle (ST-SHA) proves to be contributed by the interfacial and bulk SHAs. The bulk SHA is dominated by the skew scattering and reaches a maximal value for the largest randomization of Pt and Pd atoms at the intermediate alloy composition. In particular, the interfacial SHA becomes prominent for Pt-rich alloys. This phenomenon indicates the enhanced Rashba spin-orbit coupling at the interface, as Pt has a stronger spin-orbit coupling and larger z-potential gradient compared to Pd. The present work highlights the interfacial SHA and provides a pathway to improve the functionality and performance of the next generation spintronic devices.