Electrically induced and detected Néel vector reversal in a collinear antiferromagnet

Abstract

© 2018, The Author(s). Antiferromagnets are enriching spintronics research by many favorable properties that include insensitivity to magnetic fields, neuromorphic memory characteristics, and ultra-fast spin dynamics. Designing memory devices with electrical writing and reading is one of the central topics of antiferromagnetic spintronics. So far, such a combined functionality has been demonstrated via 90° reorientations of the Néel vector generated by the current-induced spin orbit torque and sensed by the linear-response anisotropic magnetoresistance. Here we show that in the same antiferromagnetic CuMnAs films as used in these earlier experiments we can also control 180° Néel vector reversals by switching the polarity of the writing current. Moreover, the two stable states with opposite Néel vector orientations in this collinear antiferromagnet can be electrically distinguished by measuring a second-order magnetoresistance effect. We discuss the general magnetic point group symmetries allowing for this electrical readout effect and its specific microscopic origin in CuMnAs.

Citation

Godinho, J., Reichlová, H., Kriegner, D., Novák, V., Olejník, K., Kašpar, Z., …Wunderlich, J. (2018). Electrically induced and detected Néel vector reversal in a collinear antiferromagnet. Nature Communications, 9(1), Article 4686. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07092-2

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 10, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Nov 8, 2018
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: Jan 2, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 2, 2019
• Journal: Nature Communications
• Electronic ISSN: 2041-1723
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 4686
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07092-2
• Keywords: General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology; General Physics and Astronomy; General Chemistry
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1439790
• Publisher URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-07092-2