Electric control of a canted-antiferromagnetic Chern insulator

Jiaqi Cai, Dmitry Ovchinnikov, Zaiyao Fei, Minhao He, Tiancheng Song, Zhong Lin, Chong Wang, David Cobden, Jiun-Haw Chu, Yong-Tao Cui, Cui-Zu Chang, Di Xiao, Jiaqiang Yan and Xiaodong Xu ()
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Jiaqi Cai: University of Washington
Dmitry Ovchinnikov: University of Washington
Zaiyao Fei: University of Washington
Minhao He: University of Washington
Tiancheng Song: University of Washington
Zhong Lin: University of Washington
Chong Wang: University of Washington
David Cobden: University of Washington
Jiun-Haw Chu: University of Washington
Yong-Tao Cui: University of California
Cui-Zu Chang: The Pennsylvania State University
Di Xiao: University of Washington
Jiaqiang Yan: Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Xiaodong Xu: University of Washington

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract The interplay between band topology and magnetism can give rise to exotic states of matter. For example, magnetically doped topological insulators can realize a Chern insulator that exhibits quantized Hall resistance at zero magnetic field. While prior works have focused on ferromagnetic systems, little is known about band topology and its manipulation in antiferromagnets. Here, we report that MnBi2Te4 is a rare platform for realizing a canted-antiferromagnetic (cAFM) Chern insulator with electrical control. We show that the Chern insulator state with Chern number C = 1 appears as the AFM to canted-AFM phase transition happens. The Chern insulator state is further confirmed by observing the unusual transition of the C = 1 state in the cAFM phase to the C = 2 orbital quantum Hall states in the magnetic field induced ferromagnetic phase. Near the cAFM-AFM phase boundary, we show that the dissipationless chiral edge transport can be toggled on and off by applying an electric field alone. We attribute this switching effect to the electrical field tuning of the exchange gap alignment between the top and bottom surfaces. Our work paves the way for future studies on topological cAFM spintronics and facilitates the development of proof-of-concept Chern insulator devices.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29259-8

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