Coexistence of in-plane and out-of-plane exchange Bias in correlated kagome antiferromagnet Mn3- xCrxSn

TL;DR

This study reveals the coexistence of in-plane and out-of-plane exchange bias in Cr-doped Mn3Sn, a kagome antiferromagnet, with the out-of-plane bias reaching a maximum of 1090 Oe, driven by different microscopic mechanisms.

Contribution

It demonstrates the simultaneous presence of in-plane and out-of-plane exchange bias in a kagome antiferromagnet and elucidates their distinct origins.

Findings

Maximum out-of-plane EB field of 1090 Oe observed.

EB along perpendicular plane induced by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions.

EB along kagome plane due to interface exchange effects.

Abstract

The materials exhibiting exchange bias (EB) have been extensively investigated mainly due to their great technological applications in magnetic sensors, but its underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here we report the novel coexistence of in-plane and out-of-plane EB in the Cr-doped Mn3Sn, a non-colinear antiferromagnet with a geometrically frustrated Kagome plane of Mn. Field-cooling experiments with the applied field parallel and perpendicular to the frustrated Kagome plane exhibits loop shifts and enhanced coercivities. Interestingly, a maximum EB field of 1090 Oe is observed along out-of-plane direction in the Mn2.58Cr0.42Sn sample, higher than that of in-plane value. Our results indicate that the exchange bias along perpendicular kagome plane is primarily induced by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions due to the breaking of interfacial symmetry, while the EB along kagome plane is due to the exchange effects at interface of AFM and FM component originating from the net moment. These findings provide a new insight on EB in the kagome AFM materials, which are important and highly potential to the application of antiferromagnetic spintronics.