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A piezoelectric, strain-controlled antiferromagnetic memory insensitive to magnetic fields

Nature Nanotechnology volume 14, pages 131–136 (2019)Cite this article

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Abstract

Spintronic devices based on antiferromagnetic (AFM) materials hold the promise of fast switching speeds and robustness against magnetic fields1,2,3. Different device concepts have been predicted4,5 and experimentally demonstrated, such as low-temperature AFM tunnel junctions that operate as spin-valves6, or room-temperature AFM memory, for which either thermal heating in combination with magnetic fields7 or Néel spin–orbit torque8 is used for the information writing process. On the other hand, piezoelectric materials were employed to control magnetism by electric fields in multiferroic heterostructures9,10,11,12, which suppresses Joule heating caused by switching currents and may enable low-energy-consuming electronic devices. Here, we combine the two material classes to explore changes in the resistance of the high-Néel-temperature antiferromagnet MnPt induced by piezoelectric strain. We find two non-volatile resistance states at room temperature and zero electric field that are stable in magnetic fields up to 60 T. Furthermore, the strain-induced resistance switching process is insensitive to magnetic fields. Integration in a tunnel junction can further amplify the electroresistance. The tunnelling anisotropic magnetoresistance reaches ~11.2% at room temperature. Overall, we demonstrate a piezoelectric, strain-controlled AFM memory that is fully operational in strong magnetic fields and has the potential for low-energy and high-density memory applications.

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Fig. 1: Structure and AFM order of MnPt.
Fig. 2: Magneto- and electrotransport properties of the MnPt film at room temperature.
Fig. 3: Possible mechanism for the electroresistance modulation in the MnPt film.
Fig. 4: Piezoelectric strain-controlled AFM memory based on the MnPt/PMN–PT heterostructure insensitive to magnetic fields.
Fig. 5: Piezoelectric strain-controlled room-temperature AFM tunnel junction.

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Data availability

The data that support plots within this paper and other findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

Zhiqi L. acknowledges financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC; grant numbers 51822101, 51771009 and 11704018). Z.Z. and Zhiqi L. acknowledge financial support from the NSFC on the Science Foundation Ireland–NSFC Partnership Programme (NSFC grant number 51861135104). S.S. and Zikui L. acknowledge financial support from the US Department of Energy (award number DE-FE0031553). M.C. acknowledges support from Science Foundation Ireland contract 12/RC/2278. Z.C. acknowledges the NSFC (number 51802057) and a startup grant from the Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen, China), under project number DD45001017. The Advanced Light Source is supported by the Director, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, of the US DOE under contract DE-AC02-05CH11231.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Han Yan, Zexin Feng.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China

    Han Yan, Zexin Feng, Xiaoning Wang, Zexiang Hu, Hui Wang, Hui Hua, Wenkuo Lu, Jingmin Wang, Peixin Qin, Huixin Guo, Xiaorong Zhou, Zhaoguogang Leng, Chengbao Jiang, Michael Coey & Zhiqi Liu

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Shunli Shang & Zikui Liu

  3. Wuhan National High Magnetic Field Center, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

    Jinhua Wang & Zengwei Zhu

  4. School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

    Jinhua Wang & Zengwei Zhu

  5. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, China

    Zuhuang Chen

  6. Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

    Michael Coey

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  1. Han Yan
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Contributions

H.Y. and Z.F. performed the sample growth, electrical and magnetic measurements, with assistance from X.W., Z.H., H.H., W.L., Jingmin W., P.Q., H.G., X.Z., Z. Leng and C.J. Zhiqi L. performed the XRD measurements. Z.C. performed the X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements. H.W. performed the TEM measurements. Jinhua W. and Z.Z. performed the high magnetic field measurements. S.S. and Zikui L. performed the theoretical calculations. Zhiqi L. wrote the manuscript, along with H.Y., Z.F., X.W., Z.H. and M.C. All authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript. Zhiqi L. conceived and led the project.

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Correspondence to Zhiqi Liu.

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Yan, H., Feng, Z., Shang, S. et al. A piezoelectric, strain-controlled antiferromagnetic memory insensitive to magnetic fields. Nature Nanotech 14, 131–136 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-018-0339-0

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