Correlation between the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and spin-mixing conductance at an antiferromagnet/ferromagnet interface

The rich interaction phenomena at antiferromagnet (AFM)/ferromagnet (FM) interfaces are key ingredients in AFM spintronics, where many underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here we report on a correlation observed between the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) DS and effective spin-mixing conductance geff↑↓ at the IrMn/CoFeB interface. Both DS and geff↑↓ are quantitatively determined with Brillouin light-scattering measurements, and increase with IrMn thickness in the range of 2.5∼7.5 nm. Such correlation likely originates from the AFM-states-mediated spin-flip transitions in the FM, which promote both the interfacial DMI and spin-pumping effect. Our findings provide deeper insight into the AFM-FM interfacial coupling for future spintronic design.