Antiferromagnetic half-skyrmions electrically generated and controlled at room temperature

Amin, O. J.; Poole, S. F.; Reimers, S.; Barton, L. X.; Dal Din, A.; Maccherozzi, F.; Dhesi, S. S.; Novák, V.; Krizek, F.; Chauhan, J. S.; Campion, R. P.; Rushforth, A. W.; Jungwirth, T.; Tretiakov, O. A.; Edmonds, K. W.; Wadley, P.

Abstract

Topologically protected magnetic textures are promising candidates for information carriers in future memory devices, as they can be efficiently propelled at very high velocities using current-induced spin torques. These textures—nanoscale whirls in the magnetic order—include skyrmions, half-skyrmions (merons) and their antiparticles. Antiferromagnets have been shown to host versions of these textures that have high potential for terahertz dynamics, deflection-free motion and improved size scaling due to the absence of stray field. Here we show that topological spin textures, merons and antimerons, can be generated at room temperature and reversibly moved using electrical pulses in thin-film CuMnAs, a semimetallic antiferromagnet that is a testbed system for spintronic applications. The merons and antimerons are localized on 180° domain walls, and move in the direction of the current pulses. The electrical generation and manipulation of antiferromagnetic merons is a crucial step towards realizing the full potential of antiferromagnetic thin films as active components in high-density, high-speed magnetic memory devices.

Citation

Amin, O. J., Poole, S. F., Reimers, S., Barton, L. X., Dal Din, A., Maccherozzi, F., …Wadley, P. (2023). Antiferromagnetic half-skyrmions electrically generated and controlled at room temperature. Nature Nanotechnology, 18(8), 849-853. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-023-01386-3

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 24, 2023
• Online Publication Date: May 8, 2023
• Publication Date: May 8, 2023
• Deposit Date: May 11, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: May 11, 2023
• Journal: Nature Nanotechnology
• Print ISSN: 1748-3387
• Electronic ISSN: 1748-3395
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 18
• Issue: 8
• Pages: 849-853
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-023-01386-3
• Keywords: Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Condensed Matter Physics; General Materials Science; Biomedical Engineering; Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics; Bioengineering
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/20563109
• Publisher URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-023-01386-3