Spintronic THz emitters based on transition metals and semi-metals/Pt multilayers

Spintronic terahertz (THz) emitters based on the inverse spin Hall effect in ferromagnetic/heavy metal (FM/HM) heterostructures have become important sources for THz pulse generation. The design, materials, and control of these interfaces at the nanometer level have become vital to engineer their THz emission properties. In this work, we present studies of the optimization of such structures through a multi-pronged approach, taking advantage of material and interface engineering to enhance THz spintronic emission. This includes the application of multi-stacks of HM/FM junctions and their application to trilayer structures, the use of spin-sinks to simultaneously enhance the THz emitted fields and reduce the use of thick Pt layers to reduce optical absorption, and the use of semi-metals to increase the spin polarization and, thus, THz emission. Through these approaches, significant enhancements of the THz field can be achieved. Importantly, taking into account the optical absorption permits to elucidate novel phenomena such as the relation between the spin diffusion length and the spin-sink using THz spectroscopy, as well as possibly distinguishing between self- and interface-spin-to-charge conversion in semi-metals. © 2022 Author(s)