Symmetry-Breaking Interlayer Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interactions in Synthetic Antiferromagnets

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the existence of symmetry-breaking interlayer Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions in synthetic antiferromagnets, revealing new chiral spin states at room temperature with potential spintronic applications.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of interlayer DMI in synthetic antiferromagnets with canted magnetization, showing how it affects magnetic reversal symmetry and enables novel chiral spin textures.

Findings

Interlayer DMI observed at room temperature in synthetic antiferromagnets.

Interlayer DMI causes noncollinear spin states and asymmetric hysteresis loops.

Symmetry-breaking interlayer DMI opens new pathways for chiral spin texture development.

Abstract

The magnetic interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) in multi-layered thin films can lead to exotic chiral spin states, of paramount importance for future spintronic technologies. Interfacial DMI is normally manifested as an intralayer interaction, mediated via a paramagnetic heavy metal in systems lacking inversion symmetry. Here we show how, by designing synthetic antiferromagnets with canted magnetization states, it is also possible to observe interfacial interlayer-DMI at room temperature. The interlayer-DMI breaks the symmetry of the magnetic reversal process via the emergence of noncollinear spin states, which results in chiral exchange-biased hysteresis loops. This work opens up yet unexplored avenues for the development of new chiral spin textures in multi-layered thin film systems.