Voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy in antiferromagnetic MgO-capped MnPt films

TL;DR

This study uses first-principles calculations to explore voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy in MgO-capped MnPt films, revealing significant tunability with film thickness and potential for magnetic memory applications.

Contribution

It demonstrates the voltage control of magnetic anisotropy in MnPt films and highlights the influence of film thickness and interface termination on this property.

Findings

Magnetic anisotropy varies sharply with film thickness.

Linear voltage control coefficient reaches up to 1.5 for Pt-terminated films.

MgO-capped MnPt films are promising for magnetic memory and antiferromagnonic devices.

Abstract

The magnetic anisotropy in MgO-capped MnPt films and its voltage control are studied using first-principles calculations. Sharp variation of the magnetic anisotropy with film thickness, especially in the Pt-terminated film, suggests that it may be widely tuned by adjusting the film thickness. In thick films the linear voltage control coefficient is as large as 1.5 and $-0.6$ pJ/Vm for Pt-terminated and Mn-terminated interfaces, respectively. The combination of a widely tunable magnetic anisotropy energy and a large voltage-control coefficient suggest that MgO-capped MnPt films can serve as a versatile platform for magnetic memory and antiferromagnonic applications.