Tunable magnetic domains in ferrimagnetic MnSb$_2$Te$_4$

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the ability to control and image magnetic domains in MnSb$_2$Te$_4$, revealing tunable magnetic textures and their impact on electronic properties, paving the way for reconfigurable spintronic devices.

Contribution

It introduces magnetic force microscopy for imaging and controlling ferrimagnetic domains in MnSb$_2$Te$_4$, and links domain morphology to Hall response, enabling domain-based device reconfiguration.

Findings

Magnetic field induces stripe and bubble domain morphologies.

Local anomalous Hall response correlates with domain area.

Magnetic textures can be manipulated for device applications.

Abstract

Highly tunable properties make Mn(Bi,Sb)$_2$Te$_4$ a rich playground for exploring the interplay between band topology and magnetism: On one end, MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ is an antiferromagnetic topological insulator, while the magnetic structure of MnSb$_2$Te$_4$ (MST) can be tuned between antiferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic. Motivated to control electronic properties through real-space magnetic textures, we use magnetic force microscopy (MFM) to image the domains of ferrimagnetic MST. We find that magnetic field tunes between stripe and bubble domain morphologies, raising the possibility of topological spin textures. Moreover, we combine in situ transport with domain manipulation and imaging to both write MST device properties and directly measure the scaling of the Hall response with domain area. This work demonstrates measurement of the local anomalous Hall response using MFM, and opens the door to reconfigurable domain-based devices in the M(B,S)T family.