The spin-mixing conductance (SMC) is a key quantity determining efficiency of spin transport across interfaces. Thus, knowledge of its precise value is required for accurate measurement of parameters quantifying numerous effects in spintronics, such as spin-orbit torque, spin Hall magnetoresistance, spin Hall effect, and spin pumping. However, the standard expression for SMC, provided by the scattering theory in terms of the reflection probability amplitudes, is inapplicable when strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is present directly at the interface. This is the precisely the case of topological-insulator/ferromagnet and heavy-metal/ferromagnet interfaces of great contemporary interest. We introduce an approach where first-principles Hamiltonian of these interfaces, obtained from noncollinear density functional theory (ncDFT) calculations, is combined with charge-conserving Floquet-nonequilibrium-Green-function formalism to compute directly the pumped spin current $I_{\mathrm{L}}^{S_z}$ into semi-infinite left lead of two-terminal heterostructures $\mathrm{Cu}/X/\mathrm{Co}/\mathrm{Cu}$ or $Y/\mathrm{Co}/\mathrm{Cu}$—where $X={\mathrm{Bi}}_2{\mathrm{Se}}_3$ and $Y=\text{Pt}$ or W—due to microwave-driven steadily precessing magnetization of the Co layer. This allows us to extract an effective SMC as a prefactor in $I_{\mathrm{L}}^{S_z}$ versus precession cone angle $\theta$ dependence, as long as it remains the same, $I^{S_z}\propto {sin}^2\theta$, as in the case where SOC is absent. By comparing calculations where SOC in switched off versus switched on in ncDFT calculations, we find that SOC consistently reduces the pumped spin current and therefore the effective SMC.

• Received 23 December 2019
• Accepted 3 November 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.4.121201