Non-volatile Electric Control of Magnetic and Topological Properties of MnBi2Te4 Thin Films

TL;DR

This paper presents a method to electrically control magnetic and topological states in MnBi2Te4 thin films via heterostructures with 2D ferroelectrics, enabling dynamic phase transitions in topological quantum materials.

Contribution

It introduces a magnetoelectric coupling mechanism using ferroelectric heterostructures to control magnetic order and induce topological phase transitions in TQMs.

Findings

Charge transfer modulates magnetic stability.

Polarization controls topological phases.

Potential for multifunctional topological devices.

Abstract

In this letter, we propose a mechanism to control the magnetic properties of topological quantum material (TQM) by using magnetoelectric coupling: this mechanism uses a heterostructure of TQM with two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectric material, which can dynamically control the magnetic order by changing the polarization of the ferroelectric material and induce possible topological phase transitions. This concept is demonstrated using the example of the bilayer MnBi2Te4 on ferroelectric In2Se3 or In2Te3, where the polarization direction of the 2D ferroelectrics determines the interfacial band alignment and consequently the direction of the charge transfer. This charge transfer, in turn, enhances the stability of the ferromagnetic state of MnBi2Te4 and leads to a possible topological phase transition between the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect and the zero plateau QAH. Our work provides a route to dynamically alter the magnetic ordering of TQMs and could lead to the discovery of new multifunctional topological heterostructures.