Significant modulation of Gilbert damping in ultrathin ferromagnetic films by altering the surface magnetic anisotropy

Abstract

The ability to control the Gilbert damping which determines the lifetime of spin information is crucial for designing spintronic and magnonic devices. Thus, controlling the Gilbert damping parameter α has been a significant research target for several decades. Although numerous approaches have been explored to control α, few reports of large changes of this parameter have been presented. Herein, we demonstrate significant change of α in 2-nm-thick Co₂₅⁢Fe₇₅ films originating from uniaxial surface magnetic anisotropy, which affects the two-magnon scattering. We report a change in α by approximately 0.02, or 300%. The value for α and its change are comparable to those observed in a previous study using a film that is one order of magnitude thicker. Our results achieved with Co₂₅⁢⁢Fe₇₅ can be directly transferred to other ultrathin ferromagnetic materials, which are a promising platform for spin information processing, and thus represents a versatile approach to modulate the Gilbert damping.