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Magnetization vector manipulation by electric fields

Nature volume 455, pages 515–518 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Conventional semiconductor devices use electric fields to control conductivity, a scalar quantity, for information processing. In magnetic materials, the direction of magnetization, a vector quantity, is of fundamental importance. In magnetic data storage, magnetization is manipulated with a current-generated magnetic field (Oersted–Ampère field), and spin current1,2 is being studied for use in non-volatile magnetic memories3,4. To make control of magnetization fully compatible with semiconductor devices, it is highly desirable to control magnetization using electric fields. Conventionally, this is achieved by means of magnetostriction produced by mechanically generated strain through the use of piezoelectricity5,6,7,8. Multiferroics9,10 have been widely studied in an alternative approach where ferroelectricity is combined with ferromagnetism. Magnetic-field control of electric polarization has been reported in these multiferroics using the magnetoelectric effect, but the inverse effect—direct electrical control of magnetization—has not so far been observed11. Here we show that the manipulation of magnetization can be achieved solely by electric fields in a ferromagnetic semiconductor, (Ga,Mn)As. The magnetic anisotropy, which determines the magnetization direction, depends on the charge carrier (hole) concentration in (Ga,Mn)As. By applying an electric field using a metal–insulator–semiconductor structure12,13,14, the hole concentration and, thereby, the magnetic anisotropy can be controlled, allowing manipulation of the magnetization direction.

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Figure 1: Magnetization vector manipulation by electric field, and measurement configuration.
Figure 2: Dependence of transverse resistance and magnetization angle on magnetic field angle.
Figure 3: Anisotropy fields, magnetization angle and sheet hole concentration as functions of electric field.
Figure 4: Electric-field-dependent perpendicular uniaxial hard-axis anisotropy.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge discussion with M. Shirai. This work was supported in part by Grant-in-Aids from MEXT/JSPS, the GCOE Program at Tohoku University, the Research and Development for Next-Generation Information Technology Program (MEXT), and a Research Fellowship from JSPS.

Author Contributions D.C. and H.O. planned and supervised the study. D.C. grew the samples, made the devices, collected and analyzed data, and calculated magnetization switching. M.S. and F.M. investigated the magnetization characteristics of (Ga,Mn)As layers. Y. Nishitani investigated the transport characteristics of devices for the transport measurements and determined the dielectric constant of the ZrO2 gate insulators. Y. Nakatani performed the micromagnetic simulation. D.C., F.M. and H.O. wrote the manuscript. All authors discussed the results.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Semiconductor Spintronics Project, Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Sanban-cho 5, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0075, Japan ,

    D. Chiba, F. Matsukura & H. Ohno

  2. Laboratory for Nanoelectronics and Spintronics, Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan ,

    D. Chiba, M. Sawicki, Y. Nishitani, F. Matsukura & H. Ohno

  3. Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Al. Lotników 32/46, PL-02668, Warszawa, Poland ,

    M. Sawicki

  4. University of Electro-communications, Chofugaoka 1-5-1, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan ,

    Y. Nakatani

Authors
  1. D. Chiba
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  6. H. Ohno
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to H. Ohno.

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Chiba, D., Sawicki, M., Nishitani, Y. et al. Magnetization vector manipulation by electric fields. Nature 455, 515–518 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07318

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