Direct imaging of current-induced antiferromagnetic switching revealing a pure thermomagnetoelastic switching mechanism in NiO

0549814 - FZÚ 2022 RIV US eng J - Článek v odborném periodiku
Meer, H. - Schreiber, F. - Schmitt, C. - Ramos, R. - Saitoh, E. - Gomonay, O. - Sinova, Jairo - Baldrati, L. - Kläui, M.
Direct imaging of current-induced antiferromagnetic switching revealing a pure thermomagnetoelastic switching mechanism in NiO.
Nano Letters. Roč. 21, č. 1 (2021), s. 114-119. ISSN 1530-6984. E-ISSN 1530-6992
GRANT EU: European Commission(XE) 766566 - ASPIN
Institucionální podpora: RVO:68378271
Klíčová slova: insulating antiferromagnets spin * current-induced magnetic switching * NiO/Pt bilayers * temperature-induced strain
Obor OECD: Condensed matter physics (including formerly solid state physics, supercond.)
Impakt faktor: 12.262, rok: 2021
Způsob publikování: Omezený přístup
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c03367

We unravel the origin of current-induced magnetic switching of insulating antiferromagnet/heavy metal systems. We utilize concurrent transport and magneto-optical measurements to image the switching of antiferromagnetic domains in specially engineered devices of NiO/Pt bilayers. Different electrical pulsing and device geometries reveal different final states of the switching with respect to the current direction. We can explain these through simulations of the temperature-induced strain, and we identify the thermomagnetoelastic switching mechanism combined with thermal excitations as the origin, in which the final state is defined by the strain distributions and heat is required to switch the antiferromagnetic domains. We show that such a potentially very versatile noncontact mechanism can explain the previously reported contradicting observations of the switching final state, which were attributed to spin−orbit torque mechanisms.
Trvalý link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0325719