Controlling spin current polarization through non-collinear antiferromagnetism

T. Nan, C. X. Quintela, J. Irwin, G. Gurung, D. F. Shao, J. Gibbons, N. Campbell, K. Song, S. -Y. Choi, L. Guo, R. D. Johnson, P. Manuel, R. V. Chopdekar, I. Hallsteinsen, T. Tybell, P. J. Ryan, J. -W. Kim, Y. Choi, P. G. Radaelli, D. C. Ralph, E. Y. Tsymbal, M. S. Rzchowski and C. B. Eom ()
Additional contact information
T. Nan: University of Wisconsin-Madison
C. X. Quintela: University of Wisconsin-Madison
J. Irwin: University of Wisconsin-Madison
G. Gurung: University of Nebraska
D. F. Shao: University of Nebraska
J. Gibbons: Cornell University
N. Campbell: University of Wisconsin-Madison
K. Song: Department of Materials Modeling and Characterization, KIMS
S. -Y. Choi: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, POSTECH
L. Guo: University of Wisconsin-Madison
R. D. Johnson: University of Oxford
P. Manuel: University College London
R. V. Chopdekar: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)
I. Hallsteinsen: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)
T. Tybell: Norwegian University of Science and Technology
P. J. Ryan: Argonne National Laboratory
J. -W. Kim: Argonne National Laboratory
Y. Choi: Argonne National Laboratory
P. G. Radaelli: University of Oxford
D. C. Ralph: Cornell University
E. Y. Tsymbal: University of Nebraska
M. S. Rzchowski: University of Wisconsin-Madison
C. B. Eom: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: 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.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17999-4

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