Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in permalloy ultrathin film grown on RuO2(101) surface

Permalloy (Py) films are commonly regarded as soft magnetic materials, wherein the magnetization aligns within the film plane. Our studies reveal the presence of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in Py thin films deposited on the collinear antiferromagnetic RuO2(101) surface. By employing both the magneto-optical Kerr effect and the anomalous Hall effect, we identified the interfacial origin of the observed perpendicular anisotropy, quantifying it with an interfacial anisotropy energy of approximately 0.77 erg/cm2. Current-induced magnetization switching in Py/RuO2(101) has been achieved under an in-plane field, with the current applied along both [010] and [10 1¯] directions. Py films exhibiting perpendicular magnetic anisotropy offer an innovative material platform for investigating the spin–orbit effect, holding significant potential for spintronics applications.