Current-induced switching of thin film α- Fe2 O3 devices imaged using a scanning single-spin microscope

Journal Article · Mon Jun 05 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · Physical Review Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevmaterials.7.064402· OSTI ID:2419607

Guo, Qiaochu ^[1]; D'Addario, Anthony ^[2]; Cheng, Yang ^[3]; Kline, Jeremy ^[2]; Gray, Isaiah ^[2]; Cheung, Hil Harry ^[2]; Yang, Fengyuan ^[3]; Nowack, Katja C. ^[4]; Fuchs, Gregory D. ^[4]

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1. Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States); OSTI
2. Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)
3. The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States)
4. Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States); Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Ithaca, NY (United States)

Electrical switching of Néel order in an antiferromagnetic insulator is desirable as a basis for memory applications. Unlike electrically driven switching of ferromagnetic order via spin-orbit torques, electrical switching of antiferromagnetic order remains poorly understood. Here we investigate the low-field magnetic properties of 30-nm-thick, c-axis-oriented α-Fe₂⁢O₃ Hall devices using a diamond nitrogen-vacancy center scanning microscope. Using the canted moment of α-Fe_2⁢O₃ as a magnetic handle on its Néel vector, we apply a saturating in-plane magnetic field to create a known initial state before letting the state relax in low field for magnetic imaging. Here, we repeat this procedure for different in-plane orientations of the initialization field. We find that the magnetic field images are characterized by stronger magnetic textures for fields along [$$\overline{11}$$20] and 11$$\overline{2}$$0, suggesting that despite the expected 3-fold magnetocrystalline anisotropy, our α-Fe₂⁢O₃ thin films have an overall in-plane uniaxial anisotropy. We also study current-induced switching of the magnetic order in α-Fe₂⁢O₃. We find that the fraction of the device that switches depends on the current pulse duration, amplitude, and direction relative to the initialization field.

• Research Organization: Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States); The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
• Grant/Contract Number: SC0001304; SC0019250
• OSTI ID: 2419607
• Journal Information: Physical Review Materials, Journal Name: Physical Review Materials Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 7; ISSN 2475-9953
• Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE