Relationship between crystal orientation and proximity effects at the interface of FM/IrO2 bilayers

Bilayers combining a magnetic material with low damping and a material with high spin-orbit
coupling are promising building blocks to develop new spintronic devices. Our recent studies
on YIG/IrO2 bilayers point to an even wider potential of these systems as we have observed a
switch of the sign of the ISHE-voltage associated to a modification of the crystallographic
orientation of the layers. In order to understand the origin of this behaviour a comprehensive study
including the characterization of the interface is needed. We propose to carry out an XAS and
XMCD experiment on a series of YIG/IrO2 bilayers with different interface constructions. We will
explore the electronic (XAS) and magnetic (XMCD) changes induced in Ir by the adjacent magnetic
YIG layer and, vice versa, the changes induced in the YIG by the IrO2. Their comparative study
will help us to get a deeper insight into the main parameters and mechanism governing the
performance of these bilayers.