Reduce the magnetic damping of Pt/ferromagnet heterostructures by inserting a Hf spacer layer

We investigated the effect of the Hf spacer layer on the magnetic damping of Pt/ferromagnet (FM) heterostructures by using broadband ferromagnetic resonance. The magnetic damping of Pt/Co is reduced greatly and then enhanced slightly as the thickness of the Hf spacer layer increases, which is ascribed to the competition of the magnetic proximity effect, the anti-damping behavior, and the spin-pumping effect occurring at the interface. The 3-nm-thick Hf spacer layer results in a maximum reduction rate as high as 48.8% for the magnetic damping of the Pt/Co samples. The reduction of magnetic damping by the Hf spacer layer was additionally demonstrated in the heterostructures of Pt/NiFe and Pt/CoFeB, which suggests the universal tuning effect of the Hf spacer layer on the magnetic damping of Pt/FM systems.