All-electrical skyrmionic magnetic tunnel junction

Shaohai Chen, James Lourembam, Pin Ho, Alexander K. J. Toh, Jifei Huang, Xiaoye Chen, Hang Khume Tan, Sherry L. K. Yap, Royston J. J. Lim, Hui Ru Tan, T. S. Suraj, May Inn Sim, Yeow Teck Toh, Idayu Lim, Nelson C. B. Lim, Jing Zhou, Hong Jing Chung, Sze Ter Lim and Anjan Soumyanarayanan ()
Additional contact information
Shaohai Chen: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
James Lourembam: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Pin Ho: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Alexander K. J. Toh: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Jifei Huang: National University of Singapore
Xiaoye Chen: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Hang Khume Tan: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Sherry L. K. Yap: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Royston J. J. Lim: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Hui Ru Tan: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
T. S. Suraj: National University of Singapore
May Inn Sim: National University of Singapore
Yeow Teck Toh: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Idayu Lim: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Nelson C. B. Lim: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Jing Zhou: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Hong Jing Chung: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Sze Ter Lim: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Anjan Soumyanarayanan: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)

Nature, 2024, vol. 627, issue 8004, 522-527

Abstract: Abstract Topological whirls or ‘textures’ of spins such as magnetic skyrmions represent the smallest realizable emergent magnetic entities1–5. They hold considerable promise as robust, nanometre-scale, mobile bits for sustainable computing6–8. A longstanding roadblock to unleashing their potential is the absence of a device enabling deterministic electrical readout of individual spin textures9,10. Here we present the wafer-scale realization of a nanoscale chiral magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) hosting a single, ambient skyrmion. Using a suite of electrical and multimodal imaging techniques, we show that the MTJ nucleates skyrmions of fixed polarity, whose large readout signal—20–70% relative to uniformly magnetized states—corresponds directly to skyrmion size. The MTJ exploits complementary nucleation mechanisms to stabilize distinctly sized skyrmions at zero field, thereby realizing three non-volatile electrical states. Crucially, it can electrically write and delete skyrmions to both uniform states with switching energies 1,000 times lower than the state of the art. Here, the applied voltage emulates a magnetic field and, in contrast to conventional MTJs, it reshapes both the energetics and kinetics of the switching transition, enabling deterministic bidirectional switching. Our stack platform enables large readout and efficient switching, and is compatible with lateral manipulation of skyrmionic bits, providing the much-anticipated backbone for all-electrical skyrmionic device architectures9,10. Its wafer-scale realizability provides a springboard to harness chiral spin textures for multibit memory and unconventional computing8,11.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07131-7

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