Room-temperature van der Waals magnetoresistive memories with data writing by orbital current in the Weyl semimetal TaIrTe4

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates room-temperature, energy-efficient van der Waals magnetoresistive memory using orbital currents in Weyl semimetal TaIrTe4, enabling all-electric data writing with low current density.

Contribution

It introduces the Berry curvature dipole as a measurable factor for out of plane orbital magnetization switching in Weyl semimetals, enabling field-free magnetic memory.

Findings

Achieved all-electric control of van der Waals magnetoresistive memory at room temperature.

Demonstrated low critical current density of 2x10^6 A/cm^2 for data writing.

Linked nonlinear Hall effects to field-free magnetization switching.

Abstract

Current-induced out of plane magnetization has been utilized for field-free switching of ferromagnets with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Identifying systems capable of energy-efficiently converting charge currents into out of plane orbit- or spin-polarized currents is crucial for advancing magnetic memory technologies. Here we introduce the Berry curvature dipole as a key evaluation factor, directly measurable through nonlinear Hall effects. In the Weyl semimetal TaIrTe4 used in our experiments, applying a current parallel to the Berry curvature dipole results in out of plane orbital magnetization, which governs the field-free perpendicular magnetization switching in TaIrTe4/Fe3GaTe2 heterostructures. Notably, all-electric control of van der Waals magnetoresistive memory at room temperature has been achieved with a low critical current density 2x10^6A/cm2 for data writing. Our findings reveal the connection between nonlinear Hall effects and field-free magnetization switching, highlighting the potential of the Berry curvature dipole in advancing orbitronics.