All-Electrical Self-Switching of van der Waals Chiral Antiferromagnet

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the all-electrical, self-induced switching of chiral antiferromagnetic order in a van der Waals magnet, CoTa3S6, through charge current without external magnetic fields, advancing spintronic device potential.

Contribution

It reveals a novel mechanism for switching antiferromagnetic order via charge current-induced spin-orbit and RKKY torques in a vdW magnet, with detailed experimental insights.

Findings

Current-induced switching of chiral antiferromagnetic order achieved.

Strong interactions between magnetic moments and itinerant electrons demonstrated.

Potential for ultrafast, high-density spintronic applications established.

Abstract

Antiferromagnets have garnered significant attention due to their negligible stray field and ultrafast magnetic dynamics, which are promising for high-density and ultrafast spintronic applications. Their dual functionality as both spin sources and information carriers could enable all-electrical self-induced switching of antiferromagnetic order, offering great potential for ultra-compact spintronic devices. However, related progress is still elusive. Here, we report the deterministic switching of chiral antiferromagnetic orders induced by charge current at zero external magnetic field in the van der Waals (vdW) magnetically intercalated transition metal dichalcogenide CoTa3S6. This system exhibits strong interactions between cobalt atom magnetic moment lattice and itinerant electrons within the metallic layers, as demonstrated by temperature-dependent angle-resolved photoemission, scanning tunneling spectroscopy, and topological Nernst effect measurements. Notably, the itinerant-localization interactions lead to current-induced chiral spin orbit torques as well as Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) exchange torques that interact with the localized magnetic moments, facilitating all-electrical switching of the chiral magnetic order in the CoTa3S6 flake. Our work opens a promising avenue for manipulating antiferromagnetic orders by delicately engineering the synergistic interactions between magnetic moments and itinerant electrons.