20 Jul 2015 | Peter Wadley,1.###*, Bryn Howells,1.*, Jakub Železný,2,3 Carl Andrews,1 Victoria Hills,1 Richard P. Campion,1 Vít Novák,2 Frank Freimuth,4 Yuriy Mokrousov,4 Andrew W. Rushforth,1 Kevin W. Edmonds,1 Bryan L. Gallagher,1 Tomáš Jungwirth2,1
The article discusses the electrical switching of antiferromagnets, a topic that was initially overlooked due to the theoretical complexity and practical challenges in controlling antiferromagnetic materials. However, the work demonstrates that antiferromagnets can be controlled using electrical means, similar to the development of ferromagnetic spintronics. The key to this control lies in the equivalence of antiferromagnets and ferromagnets for effects that are even functions of the magnetic moment, as noted by Louis Néel in his Nobel lecture.
The authors focus on room-temperature electrical switching between two stable configurations in anti-ferromagnetic CuMnAs thin film devices, combined with electrical read-out. This magnetic memory is insensitive to magnetic field perturbations, making it robust against charge and magnetic field disturbances, which are common issues in charge-based and ferromagnetic spin-based devices.
The experimental demonstration involves the use of relativistic quantum mechanics to generate staggered current-induced fields that strongly couple to the Néel order in antiferromagnets. These fields are generated without the need for external polarizers and act directly on the antiferromagnetic material. The effectiveness of these fields is confirmed through microscopic calculations and experimental measurements on CuMnAs epilayers grown on semiconductor substrates.
The article also highlights the robustness and reproducibility of the electrical writing and reading of the antiferromagnetic memory, with switching currents comparable to those used in ferromagnetic devices. The unique characteristics of the antiferromagnetic memory, such as its insensitivity to magnetic fields, make it a promising candidate for advanced spintronics applications.The article discusses the electrical switching of antiferromagnets, a topic that was initially overlooked due to the theoretical complexity and practical challenges in controlling antiferromagnetic materials. However, the work demonstrates that antiferromagnets can be controlled using electrical means, similar to the development of ferromagnetic spintronics. The key to this control lies in the equivalence of antiferromagnets and ferromagnets for effects that are even functions of the magnetic moment, as noted by Louis Néel in his Nobel lecture.
The authors focus on room-temperature electrical switching between two stable configurations in anti-ferromagnetic CuMnAs thin film devices, combined with electrical read-out. This magnetic memory is insensitive to magnetic field perturbations, making it robust against charge and magnetic field disturbances, which are common issues in charge-based and ferromagnetic spin-based devices.
The experimental demonstration involves the use of relativistic quantum mechanics to generate staggered current-induced fields that strongly couple to the Néel order in antiferromagnets. These fields are generated without the need for external polarizers and act directly on the antiferromagnetic material. The effectiveness of these fields is confirmed through microscopic calculations and experimental measurements on CuMnAs epilayers grown on semiconductor substrates.
The article also highlights the robustness and reproducibility of the electrical writing and reading of the antiferromagnetic memory, with switching currents comparable to those used in ferromagnetic devices. The unique characteristics of the antiferromagnetic memory, such as its insensitivity to magnetic fields, make it a promising candidate for advanced spintronics applications.