Electric-Field Control of Spin-Orbit Torques in Perpendicularly Magnetized <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">W</mml:mi><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:mi>CoFeB</mml:mi><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:mi>MgO</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math> Films

Controlling magnetism by electric fields offers a highly attractive perspective for designing future generations of energy-efficient information technologies. Here, we demonstrate that the magnitude of current-induced spin-orbit torques in thin perpendicularly magnetized CoFeB films can be tuned and even increased by electric-field generated piezoelectric strain. Using theoretical calculations, we uncover that the subtle interplay of spin-orbit coupling, crystal symmetry, and orbital polarization is at the core of the observed strain dependence of spin-orbit torques. Our results open a path to integrating two energy efficient spin manipulation approaches, the electric-field-induced strain and the current-induced magnetization switching, thereby enabling novel device concepts.