We study spin switching effects in finite-size superconducting multivalve structures. We examine ${\mathrm{F}}_1{\mathrm{F}}_2{\mathrm{SF}}_3$ and ${\mathrm{F}}_1{\mathrm{F}}_2{\mathrm{SF}}_3{\mathrm{F}}_4$ hybrids where a singlet superconductor (S) layer is sandwiched among ferromagnet (F) layers with differing thicknesses and magnetization orientations. Our results reveal a considerable number of experimentally viable spin-valve configurations that lead to on-off switching of the superconducting state. For S widths on the order of the superconducting coherence length ${\xi }_0$, noncollinear magnetization orientations in adjacent F layers with multiple spin axes leads to a rich variety of triplet spin-valve effects. Motivated by recent experiments, we focus on samples where the magnetizations in the ${\mathrm{F}}_1$ and ${\mathrm{F}}_4$ layers exist in a fully spin-polarized half-metallic phase, and calculate the superconducting transition temperature, spatially and energy resolved density of states, and the spin-singlet and spin-triplet superconducting correlations. Our findings demonstrate that superconductivity in these devices can be completely switched on or off over a wide range of magnetization misalignment angles due to the generation of equal-spin and opposite-spin triplet pairings.

• Received 30 November 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.97.064517