Anomalous Tunneling Magnetoresistance Oscillation and Electrically Tunable Tunneling Anisotropic Magnetoresistance in Few-layer CrPS4

TL;DR

This study reveals anomalous tunneling magnetoresistance oscillations and demonstrates electrical control of tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance in few-layer CrPS4, advancing 2D spintronics with tunable magnetic properties.

Contribution

It introduces the first observation of bias and gate voltage controllable TAMR in 2D CrPS4-based magnetic tunnel junctions, with layer-dependent TMR oscillations and mechanistic insights from first-principles calculations.

Findings

Layer-dependent TMR oscillations under magnetic fields.

Electrical tuning of TAMR via bias and gate voltages.

First-principles explanation of TAMR mechanism.

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) magnets with layer-dependent magnetic states and/or diverse magnetic interactions and anisotropies have attracted extensive research interest. Despite the advances, a notable challenge persists in effectively manipulating the tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) of 2D vdW magnet-based magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). Here, we report the novel and anomalous tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) oscillations and pioneering demonstration of bias and gate voltage controllable TAMR in 2D vdw MTJs, utilizing few-layer CrPS4. This material, inherently an antiferromagnet, transitions to a canted magnetic order upon application of external magnetic fields. Through TMR measurements, we unveil the novel, layer-dependent oscillations in the tunneling resistance for few-layer CrPS4 devices under both out-of-plane and in-plane magnetic fields, with a pronounced controllability via gate voltage. Intriguingly, we demonstrate that both the polarity and magnitude of TAMR in CrPS4 can be effectively tuned through either a bias or gate voltage. We further elucidate the mechanism behind this electrically tunable TAMR through first-principles calculations. The implications of our findings are far-reaching, providing new insights into 2D magnetism and opening avenues for the development of innovative spintronic devices based on 2D vdW magnets.