Oxide electronics

Abstract:

The datasets included herein contain experimental results (X-ray absorption, dichroic photoemission electron microscopy, diffraction, magnetometry etc.) and related analysis for the investigation of antiferromagnetic topological textures. The processes used in the obtaining, reducing and analysing the datasets can be found in the Methods and Supplementary Information sections of the published manuscript.

Abstract:

© 2020 American Physical Society. Powder neutron-diffraction experiments have been employed to establish the effects of site-selective magnetic dilution in the Sm2MnMnMn4-xTixO12 A-site columnar ordered quadruple perovskite manganites (x=1, x=2, and x=3). We show that in all three compositions the Mn ions adopt a collinear ferrimagnetic structure below 27, 62, and 34 K, respectively. An unexpected increase in the ordering temperature was observed between the x=1 and x=2 samples, which indicates a considerable departure from mean-field behavior. This result is corroborated by large reductions in the theoretical ground-state magnetic moments observed across the series, which indicate the presence of spin fluctuations and/or disorder. We show that long-range magnetic order in the x=3 sample, which occurs below the percolation threshold for B-B exchange, can only be understood to arise if it is mediated via both A-B and B-B exchange, hence confirming the importance of A-B exchange interactions in these materials. Finally, we show that site-selective magnetic dilution enables the tuning of a ferrimagnetic compensation point and the introduction of temperature-induced magnetization reversal.

Abstract:

The interconversion of charge and spin currents via spin-Hall effect is essential for spintronics. Energy-efficient and deterministic switching of magnetization can be achieved when spin polarizations of these spin currents are collinear with the magnetization. However, symmetry conditions generally restrict spin polarizations to be orthogonal to both the charge and spin flows. Spin polarizations can deviate from such direction in nonmagnetic materials only when the crystalline symmetry is reduced. Here, we show control of the spin polarization direction by using a non-collinear antiferromagnet Mn₃GaN, in which the triangular spin structure creates a low magnetic symmetry while maintaining a high crystalline symmetry. We demonstrate that epitaxial Mn₃GaN/permalloy heterostructures can generate unconventional spin-orbit torques at room temperature corresponding to out-of-plane and Dresselhaus-like spin polarizations which are forbidden in any sample with two-fold rotational symmetry. Our results demonstrate an approach based on spin-structure design for controlling spin-orbit torque, enabling high-efficient antiferromagnetic spintronics.