Control of Néel Vector with Spin-Orbit Torques in an Antiferromagnetic Insulator with Tilted Easy Plane

Zhang, Pengxiang; Chou, Chung-Tao; Yun, Hwanhui; McGoldrick, Brooke C.; Hou, Justin T.; Mkhoyan, K. Andre; Liu, Luqiao

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.129.017203

Cited by 31 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Taking into account the relative spin relaxation rates also clarifies the ongoing debate as to whether AFs can be switched at all by SOTs [11][12][13] . The previous observation of current-driven switching of uncompensated magnetic domains or magnetizations embedded within AF hosts using transport or imaging methods [71][72][73][74][75] (which is not real switching of AF Néel vector) is naturally explained by the small but sizable SOTs in nearly but not fully-compensated systems, while the absence of macroscopic transport evidence of current switching of some more uniform HM/AF [11][12][13] is well consistent with the diminishment of SOTs in fully-compensated systems (Fig. 4a).…”

Section: Scientific Implicationssupporting

confidence: 77%

Strong variation of spin-orbit torques with relative spin relaxation rates in ferrimagnets

Zhu

Ralph

2023

Nat Commun

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Spin-orbit torques (SOTs) have been widely understood as an interfacial transfer of spin that is independent of the bulk properties of the magnetic layer. Here, we report that SOTs acting on ferrimagnetic FexTb1-x layers decrease and vanish upon approaching the magnetic compensation point because the rate of spin transfer to the magnetization becomes much slower than the rate of spin relaxation into the crystal lattice due to spin-orbit scattering. These results indicate that the relative rates of competing spin relaxation processes within magnetic layers play a critical role in determining the strength of SOTs, which provides a unified understanding for the diverse and even seemingly puzzling SOT phenomena in ferromagnetic and compensated systems. Our work indicates that spin-orbit scattering within the magnet should be minimized for efficient SOT devices. We also find that the interfacial spin-mixing conductance of interfaces of ferrimagnetic alloys (such as FexTb1-x) is as large as that of 3d ferromagnets and insensitive to the degree of magnetic compensation.

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Section: Scientific Implicationssupporting

confidence: 77%

Strong variation of spin-orbit torques with relative spin relaxation rates in ferrimagnets

Zhu

Ralph

2023

Nat Commun

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“…As shown in the inset of Figure 2 a, the IP M-H isotherms at 10 and 300 K clearly exhibit non-monotonic curves indicating bi-phase structures, as detected by the XRD. In addition, the coercive field ( H C ) is significantly enhanced as the temperature is lowered from 300 K to 10 K. The zoomed-in M-H curves for both IP and OOP M-H loops measured at 10 K are plotted in Figure 2 b. Interestingly, a spin flop-like transition can be observed in the OOP M-H curve, likely due to the low field spin flop transition of the AFM α-Fe 2 O 3 phase [ 37 ]. Since Fe 3 O 4 is the dominant phase in the BPIO film, the spin flop-like behavior starts at an even lower field region, as compared to pure α-Fe 2 O 3 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The films prepared in this work consist of Fe 3 O 4 and α-Fe 2 O 3 . While Fe 3 O 4 is ferrimagnetic, α-Fe 2 O 3 is an AFM material with Néel temperature ( T N ) above 900 K. Below the T N , α-Fe 2 O 3 undergoes a first order spin-reorientation transition, also known as the Morin transition, T M ~250 K, with the Néel vector aligned along the basal plane and c -axis above and below the T M , respectively [ 37 ]. By exploiting changes in physical properties of Fe 3 O 4 and α-Fe 2 O 3 phases around their respective Verwey and Morin transitions, we show that the BPIO film is a model system for probing the interfacial magnetism in 2D-TMDs interfaced with a phase-tunable magnet.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhanced Magnetism and Anomalous Hall Transport through Two-Dimensional Tungsten Disulfide Interfaces

et al. 2023

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The magnetic proximity effect (MPE) has recently been explored to manipulate interfacial properties of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD)/ferromagnet heterostructures for use in spintronics and valleytronics. However, a full understanding of the MPE and its temperature and magnetic field evolution in these systems is lacking. In this study, the MPE has been probed in Pt/WS2/BPIO (biphase iron oxide, Fe3O4 and a-Fe2O3) heterostructures through a comprehensive investigation of their magnetic and transport properties using magnetometry, four-probe resistivity, and anomalous Hall effect (AHE) measurements. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations are performed to complement the experimental findings. We found that the presence of monolayer WS2 flakes reduces the magnetization of BPIO and hence the total magnetization of Pt/WS2/BPIO at T > ~120 K—the Verwey transition temperature of Fe3O4 (TV). However, an enhanced magnetization is achieved at T < TV. In the latter case, a comparative analysis of the transport properties of Pt/WS2/BPIO and Pt/BPIO from AHE measurements reveals ferromagnetic coupling at the WS2/BPIO interface. Our study forms the foundation for understanding MPE-mediated interfacial properties and paves a new pathway for designing 2D TMD/magnet heterostructures for applications in spintronics, opto-spincaloritronics, and valleytronics.

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“…The intrinsic factor (α in ) is mainly affected by the spin–orbit coupling, which is determined by the intrinsic properties of magnetic materials, such as composition, structure, etc. In contrast, the non-intrinsic term is attributed to extrinsic contributions, such as two-magnon scattering, spin pumping, and inhomogeneous magnetic distribution, which can be controlled more effectively by artificial designing. − The exchange-coupled ferromagnet/antiferromagnet (FM/AFM) heterostructures have been widely studied as the AFM layer provides an effective tool for manipulating the damping factor of the FM layer. , More recently, the AFM materials have attracted much attention for being resistant to perturbation by magnetic fields, producing no stray fields, displaying ultrafast dynamics, and being responsive to very high (terahertz) frequencies. − Many studies indicate that the metallic AFMs, such as PtMn, IrMn, and IrMn 3 , exhibit a large spin–orbit torque (SOT) efficiency, − a characteristic index for SOT–MRAM to develop energy-efficient memory devices. Thus, these findings encourage us to explore additional spin-related properties of AFM and fast AFM dynamics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gilbert Damping Modulated by the Exchange Spring Effect in IrMn/CoFe Bilayers

Liu

Song

et al. 2023

ACS Appl. Electron. Mater.

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The spin dynamic process of the IrMn/CoFe system has been investigated by the time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect. It is found that both spin pumping and the interfacial exchange spring effect between IrMn and CoFe layers contribute to the total effective Gilbert damping. With the increase in IrMn layer thickness (t IrMn), the saturated damping factor initially increases and subsequently starts to decline beyond 2.4 nm. The results demonstrate that the damping factor drops due to the exchange spring effect in the IrMn/CoFe system, where the IrMn layer features additionally as a spin source when the antiferromagnetic order of the IrMn layer is built at t IrMn > 2.4 nm. With an inserted Cu layer in between, the damping factor behaves differently by remaining nearly constant in a small range with increasing t IrMn after its initial increase. This results from the exchange-decoupling of IrMn and CoFe layers in the presence of a 3 nm thick Cu interlayer and the disappearance of the exchange spring effect.

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Control of Néel Vector with Spin-Orbit Torques in an Antiferromagnetic Insulator with Tilted Easy Plane

Cited by 31 publications

References 44 publications

Strong variation of spin-orbit torques with relative spin relaxation rates in ferrimagnets

Strong variation of spin-orbit torques with relative spin relaxation rates in ferrimagnets

Enhanced Magnetism and Anomalous Hall Transport through Two-Dimensional Tungsten Disulfide Interfaces

Gilbert Damping Modulated by the Exchange Spring Effect in IrMn/CoFe Bilayers

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