Reducing crystal symmetry to generate out-of-plane Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction

Heng Niu, Hee Young Kwon, Tianping Ma, Zhiyuan Cheng, Colin Ophus, Bingfeng Miao, Liang Sun, Yizheng Wu, Kai Liu, Stuart S. P. Parkin, Changyeon Won, Andreas K. Schmid, Haifeng Ding () and Gong Chen ()
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Heng Niu: Nanjing University
Hee Young Kwon: Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Tianping Ma: Anhui University
Zhiyuan Cheng: Nanjing University
Colin Ophus: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Bingfeng Miao: Nanjing University
Liang Sun: Nanjing University
Yizheng Wu: Fudan University
Kai Liu: Georgetown University
Stuart S. P. Parkin: Weinberg 2
Changyeon Won: Kyung Hee University
Andreas K. Schmid: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Haifeng Ding: Nanjing University
Gong Chen: Nanjing University

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract The Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya antisymmetric exchange interaction (DMI) stabilises topological spin textures with promising future spintronics applications. According to crystal symmetry, the DMI can be categorized as four different types that favour different chiral textures. Unlike the other three extensively-investigated types, out-of-plane DMI, as the last type that favours in-plane chirality, remained missing so far. Here we apply point-group-dependent DMI matrix analysis to show that out-of-plane DMI exists under reduced crystal symmetry. Through strain and structure engineering, we show how Cs symmetry is realized in ultrathin magnets and observe the out-of-plane DMI stabilised in-plane chirality using spin-polarized electron microscopy. Our results show that extremely low out-of-plane DMI strengths at µeV/atom are sufficient to stabilise topological spin textures, including merons and bimerons. We also demonstrate field-induced reversible control of the in-plane chirality and merons. Our findings open up untapped paths on topological magnetic textures and their potential applications.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54521-6

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