Electric-field control of skyrmions in multiferroic heterostructure via magnetoelectric coupling

You Ba, Shihao Zhuang, Yike Zhang, Yutong Wang, Yang Gao, Hengan Zhou, Mingfeng Chen, Weideng Sun, Quan Liu, Guozhi Chai, Jing Ma, Ying Zhang, Huanfang Tian, Haifeng Du, Wanjun Jiang, Cewen Nan, Jia-Mian Hu () and Yonggang Zhao ()
Additional contact information
You Ba: Tsinghua University
Shihao Zhuang: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Yike Zhang: Tsinghua University
Yutong Wang: Tsinghua University
Yang Gao: Lanzhou University
Hengan Zhou: Tsinghua University
Mingfeng Chen: Tsinghua University
Weideng Sun: Tsinghua University
Quan Liu: Tsinghua University
Guozhi Chai: Lanzhou University
Jing Ma: Tsinghua University
Ying Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Huanfang Tian: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Haifeng Du: University of Science and Technology of China
Wanjun Jiang: Tsinghua University
Cewen Nan: Tsinghua University
Jia-Mian Hu: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Yonggang Zhao: Tsinghua University

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Room-temperature skyrmions in magnetic multilayers are considered to be promising candidates for the next-generation spintronic devices. Several approaches have been developed to control skyrmions, but they either cause significant heat dissipation or require ultrahigh electric fields near the breakdown threshold. Here, we demonstrate electric-field control of skyrmions through strain-mediated magnetoelectric coupling in ferromagnetic/ferroelectric multiferroic heterostructures. We show the process of non-volatile creation of multiple skyrmions, reversible deformation and annihilation of a single skyrmion by performing magnetic force microscopy with in situ electric fields. Strain-induced changes in perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and interfacial Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction strength are characterized experimentally. These experimental results, together with micromagnetic simulations, demonstrate that strain-mediated magnetoelectric coupling (via strain-induced changes in both the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and interfacial Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction is responsible for the observed electric-field control of skyrmions. Our work provides a platform to investigate electric-field control of skyrmions in multiferroic heterostructures and paves the way towards more energy-efficient skyrmion-based spintronics.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20528-y

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