  Symmetry breaking is a characteristic to determine which branch of a
bifurcation system follows upon crossing a critical point. Specifically, in
spin-orbit torque (SOT) devices, a fundamental question arises: how to break
the symmetry of the perpendicular magnetic moment by the in-plane spin
polarization? Here, we show that the chiral symmetry breaking by the DMI can
induce the deterministic SOT switching of the perpendicular magnetization. By
introducing a gradient of saturation magnetization or magnetic anisotropy,
non-collinear spin textures are formed by the gradient of effective SOT
strength, and thus the chiral symmetry of the SOT-induced spin textures is
broken by the DMI, resulting in the deterministic magnetization switching. We
introduce a strategy to induce an out-of-plane (z) gradient of magnetic
properties, as a practical solution for the wafer-scale manufacture of SOT
devices.
