Search NASA⌕ Search
Home/Archive/DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI · 2932565

Large Spin-Orbit Torque in 𝑎-Plane 𝛼−Fe 2 ⁢O 3 /Pt Bilayers

Lyalin, Igor [The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States)]·Zhang, Hantao [University of California, Riverside, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000162816708)·Michel, Justin [The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States)]·Russell, Daniel [The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States)]·Yang, Fengyuan [The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States)]·Cheng, Ran [University of California, Riverside, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000301662172)·Kawakami, Roland K. [The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States)] (ORCID:0000000302459192)
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Realization of efficient spin-orbit torque switching of the Neel vector in insulating antiferromagnets is a challenge, often complicated by spurious effects. Quantifying the spin-orbit torques in antiferromagnet or heavy metal heterostructures is an important first step toward this goal. Here, we employ magneto-optic techniques to study damping-like spin-orbit torque (DL-SOT) in a-plane α-Fe 2 O 3 (hematite) with a Pt spin-orbit overlayer. We find that the DL-SOT efficiency is 2 orders of magnitude larger than reported in c- and r-plane hematite/Pt using harmonic Hall techniques. The large magnitude of DL-SOT is supported by direct imaging of current-induced motion of antiferromagnetic domains that happens at moderate current densities. Furthermore, our study introduces a new method for quantifying spin-orbit torque in antiferromagnets with a small canted moment and identifies a-plane α-Fe 2 O 3 as a promising candidate to realize efficient SOT switching.

Explore related subjects

AntiferromagnetismHeterostructuresMagneto-optical Kerr effectSpin-orbit torqueSpintronics

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Lyalin, Igor [The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States)], Zhang, Hantao [University of California, Riverside, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000162816708), Michel, Justin [The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States)], Russell, Daniel [The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States)], Yang, Fengyuan [The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States)], Cheng, Ran [University of California, Riverside, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000301662172), Kawakami, Roland K. [The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States)] (ORCID:0000000302459192). 2025-02-12. Large Spin-Orbit Torque in 𝑎-Plane 𝛼−Fe 2 ⁢O 3 /Pt Bilayers. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.134.066701

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related reports

DOE OSTI2026

Complex spin structure in co-trimer-chain Li 2 Co 3 Se 4 O 12

Complex magnetic materials are extremely attractive for revealing unconventional spin states and novel magnetic excitations. Here, we report the structural, thermodynamic, and magnetic properties of a novel magnetic material Li 2 Co 3 Se 4 O 12 based on x-ray and neutron diffraction, specific heat, magnetization, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. X-ray and neutron diffraction refinements reveal two Co sites Co (1) and Co (2) even though both are in the octahedral environment. While they are not connected along the b and c directions, these octahedra are edge-shared forming the Co (2) – Co (1) – Co (2) trimer chain along the a direction. The magnetic susceptibility exhibits the Curie-Weiss (CW) temperature dependence at high temperatures (above ∼50 K) with the negative CW temperature, a dip centered at T ⁎ ∼ 8.0 K, and an antiferromagnetic transition at T N = 3.3 K. The specific heat confirms that there is a phase transition at T N and a hump at T ⁎ . The long-range magnetic transition at T N implies that, in addition to the intra-chain interaction, there is strong inter-chain interaction, which is likely due to polarized SeO 3 bridging between chains. Single crystal neutron diffraction refinement reveals a complex magnetic structure with the angle between Co (1) and Co (2) moments ∼105°. Within the Co (2) – Co (1) – Co (2) trimer, two Co (2) moments are parallelly aligned. Surprisingly, the Co (1) moment (1.92μB) is only half of the Co (2) moment (3.96μB). There is likely the spin-state change for Co (1) from the high-spin state at T > T ⁎ to the low-spin state at T < T ⁎ , causing a dip in the magnetic susceptibility and a hump in the specific heat. When the magnetic field is applied, multiple metamagnetic transitions are found in all directions, implying field-driven magnetic excitations. Our results demonstrate rich magnetic properties of Li 2 Co 3 Se 4 O 12 that are sensitive to the external stimuli such as the magnetic field.

Antiferromagnetism↗
DOE OSTI2025

XY-like incommensurate magnetic order in Ce 2 ⁢SnS 5

We report the synthesis of single crystals of Ce 2 ⁢SnS 5 through a two-stage chemical vapor transport method. The Ce 2 ⁢SnS 5 system is a member of the orthorhombic Pbam (No. 55) space group and realizes a distorted trigonal tricapped prism (TTP) crystal field around each cerium site. We characterized the sample through orientation-dependent magnetization and heat capacity measurements to probe the magnetic anisotropy in the system characteristic of XY-like anisotropic Heisenberg model behavior. Ce 2 ⁢SnS 5 furthermore enters a zero-field ordered phase under 𝑇 𝑁 =2.4 K; powder neutron diffraction measurements reveal incommensurate magnetic order near 𝑇 𝑁 . Furthermore, the system then locks into a commensurate, two-𝑞 magnetic structure below approximately 1.2 K. This commensurate structure belongs to the Shubnikov group 𝑃⁢𝑏′⁢𝑎′⁢𝑚′ ⁡(MSG 55.359) and realizes the propagation vectors $\overrightarrow{𝑞}$ = (1/3, 0, 0) and $\overrightarrow{𝑞}$ = (0, 0, 0).

Antiferromagnetism↗