Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Energy-efficient fast switching of spin orientations or textures is a core issue of spintronics, which is highly demanded but remains challenging. Different from the mainstream routes based on spin-transfer torque or spin-orbit torque, here we propose another mechanism coined as magnetoelectric torque to switch the magnetization in polar magnetic bilayers via pure electric field. In some magnetic van der Waals bilayers, when the electrostatic energy of polarization can compensate the interlayer magnetic coupling, a magnetoelectric torque is generated to fastly flip spins within a few picoseconds, which is demonstrated by combining the first-principles calculations, analytic model, as well as atomistic simulations. Such a magnetoelectric torque doesn't rely on the spin-orbit coupling and is generally active in polar magnetic homostructures and heterostructures. Our work provides an alternative route to switch magnetization in nanoscale, which may benefit the energy-saving and fast-response spintronic devices.
Source: Physical Review Letters
DOI: 10.1103/l5fd-kpn5
Authors: Zhong Shen, Jun Chen, Xiaoyan Yao, Shuai Dong
Institution: Southeast University
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4417411345