Work

Polarity-tunable field-free room-temperature spin orbit torque switching via topological symmetry breaking in an all-vdW heterostructure for spin logic applications

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Two-dimensional ferromagnetic materials hold great promise for advancing low-power, high-integrated spintronic devices due to their atomic flat surfaces and versatile interfacial modulation. However, achieving a combination of room-temperature, field-free spin-orbit torque switching with tunable polarity in wafer-scale vdW heterostructures remains a significant challenge. Here, we demonstrate polarity-tunable, field-free spin-orbit torque switching in an all-vdW Bi2Te3/Fe4GeTe2 heterostructure, grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Interfacial coupling induces perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in Bi2Te3/Fe4GeTe2 interface, while the rest in-plane magnetic anisotropy component of Fe4GeTe2 breaks the inversion symmetry, enabling field-free switching. By modulating the direction of in-plane component, magnetic switching with different polarity could be achieved at low current density (~1.55×106 A/cm2). This allows for 16 reconfigurable Boolean logic functions in a single device, paving a pathway for energy-efficient 2D spintronic memory and logic systems. Our findings highlight the potential of all-vdW spin-orbit torque devices to revolutionize spintronics with scalable, room-temperature electronic control. Topological interfacial coupling enhances PMA in 2D Fe4GeTe2, yielding coexisting IMA/PMA components enabling field-free SOT switching at low current density with polarity control, demonstrating reconfigurable logic for low-power spintronics.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-70590-1