Perpendicular full switching of chiral antiferromagnetic order by current

Electrical control of a magnetic state of matter lays the foundation for information technologies and for understanding of spintronic phenomena. Spin-orbit torque provides an efficient mechanism for the electrical manipulation of magnetic orders(1-11). In particular, spin-orbit torque switching of perpendicular magnetization in nanoscale ferromagnetic bits has enabled the development of stable, reliable and low-power memories and computation(12-14). Likewise, for antiferromagnetic spintronics, electrical bidirectional switching of an antiferromagnetic order in a perpendicular geometry may have huge impacts, given its potential advantage for high-density integration and ultrafast operation(15,16). Here we report the experimental realization of perpendicular and full spin-orbit torque switching of an antiferromagnetic binary state. We use the chiral antiferromagnet Mn3Sn (ref. (17)), which exhibits the magnetization-free anomalous Hall effect owing to a ferroic order of a cluster magnetic octupole hosted in its chiral antiferromagnetic state(18). We fabricate heavy-metal/Mn3Sn heterostructures by molecular beam epitaxy and introduce perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of the octupole using an epitaxial in-plane tensile strain. By using the anomalous Hall effect as the readout, we demonstrate 100 per cent switching of the perpendicular octupole polarization in a 30-nanometre-thick Mn3Sn film with a small critical current density of less than 15 megaamperes per square centimetre. Our theory reveals that the perpendicular geometry between the polarization directions of current-induced spin accumulation and of the octupole persistently maximizes the spin-orbit torque efficiency during the deterministic bidirectional switching process. Our work provides a significant basis for antiferromagnetic spintronics.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the perpendicular and full spin-orbit torque switching of an antiferromagnetic binary state. The researchers use the chiral antiferromagnet Mn3Sn and fabricate heavy-metal/Mn3Sn heterostructures by molecular beam epitaxy. The experimental results show that the perpendicular octupole polarization in a 30-nanometre-thick Mn3Sn film can achieve 100% switching with a critical current density of less than 15 megaamperes per square centimetre. The study reveals the significance of the perpendicular geometry between the current-induced spin accumulation and the octupole polarization for spin-orbit torque efficiency.