Orbital torque is a promising approach for electrically controlling magnetization in spintronic devices. However, unravelling the underlying mechanisms governing the orbital Hall effect (OHE), especially the role of extrinsic scattering and its scaling with conductivity (σxx), is crucial for realizing the full potential of orbital torque in energy-efficient spintronic devices. Here, using SrRuO3 as a model system, we discover an unconventional scaling of orbital Hall conductivity (<InlineEquation ID="IEq1"> <InlineMediaObject> <ImageObject Color="BlackWhite" FileRef="41563_2025_2326_Article_IEq1.gif" Format="GIF" Height="12" Rendition="HTML" Resolution="72" Type="Linedraw" Width="29" /> </InlineMediaObject> <EquationSource Format="TEX">${\sigma }_{{\rm{OH}}}$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <msub> <mrow> <mi>σ</mi> </mrow> <mrow> <mi mathvariant="normal">OH</mi> </mrow> </msub> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation>) with tunable σxx. <InlineEquation ID="IEq2"> <InlineMediaObject> <ImageObject Color="BlackWhite" FileRef="41563_2025_2326_Article_IEq1.gif" Format="GIF" Height="12" Rendition="HTML" Resolution="72" Type="Linedraw" Width="29" /> </InlineMediaObject> <EquationSource Format="TEX">${\sigma }_{{\rm{OH}}}$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <msub> <mrow> <mi>σ</mi> </mrow> <mrow> <mi mathvariant="normal">OH</mi> </mrow> </msub> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation> remains constant at high σxx but exhibits a striking enhancement as σxx decreases, contrasting with spin Hall effect suppression at low σxx. This behaviour underscores the Dyakonov–Perel-like orbital relaxation mechanism as key to unconventional OHE. Leveraging this scaling, we achieve enhanced orbital torque via concurrent increases in orbital Hall conductivity and orbital Hall angle, demonstrating threefold power reduction in spin–orbit torque switching with moderate σxx reduction. Our work highlights the dominant role of extrinsic disorder scattering in unconventional OHE and establishes a transformative paradigm for energy-efficient spintronics.

Unconventional scaling of the orbital Hall effect

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发表日期：

2025年8月15日

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Siyang Peng,
Xuan Zheng,
Sheng Li,
Bin Lao,
Yamin Han,
Zhaoliang Liao,
Hongsheng Zheng,
Yumeng Yang,
Tianye Yu,
Peitao Liu,
Yan Sun,
Xing-Qiu Chen,
Shouzhong Peng,
Weisheng Zhao,
Run-Wei Li,
Zhiming Wang

摘要

Orbital torque is a promising approach for electrically controlling magnetization in spintronic devices. However, unravelling the underlying mechanisms governing the orbital Hall effect (OHE), especially the role of extrinsic scattering and its scaling with conductivity (σ_xx), is crucial for realizing the full potential of orbital torque in energy-efficient spintronic devices. Here, using SrRuO₃ as a model system, we discover an unconventional scaling of orbital Hall conductivity ( ${\sigma }_{{\rm{OH}}}$ $σ_{OH}$ ) with tunable σ_xx. ${\sigma }_{{\rm{OH}}}$ $σ_{OH}$ remains constant at high σ_xx but exhibits a striking enhancement as σ_xx decreases, contrasting with spin Hall effect suppression at low σ_xx. This behaviour underscores the Dyakonov–Perel-like orbital relaxation mechanism as key to unconventional OHE. Leveraging this scaling, we achieve enhanced orbital torque via concurrent increases in orbital Hall conductivity and orbital Hall angle, demonstrating threefold power reduction in spin–orbit torque switching with moderate σ_xx reduction. Our work highlights the dominant role of extrinsic disorder scattering in unconventional OHE and establishes a transformative paradigm for energy-efficient spintronics.