Deterministic switching of a perpendicularly polarized magnet using unconventional spin–orbit torques in WTe2

I. Hsuan Kao; Ryan Muzzio; Hantao Zhang; Menglin Zhu; Jacob Gobbo; Sean Yuan; Daniel Weber; Rahul Rao; Jiahan Li; James H. Edgar; Joshua E. Goldberger; Jiaqiang Yan; David G. Mandrus; Jinwoo Hwang; Ran Cheng; Jyoti Katoch; Simranjeet Singh

doi:10.1038/s41563-022-01275-5

Deterministic switching of a perpendicularly polarized magnet using unconventional spin–orbit torques in WTe₂

I. Hsuan Kao, Ryan Muzzio, Hantao Zhang, Menglin Zhu, Jacob Gobbo, Sean Yuan, Daniel Weber, Rahul Rao, Jiahan Li, James H. Edgar, Joshua E. Goldberger, Jiaqiang Yan, David G. Mandrus, Jinwoo Hwang, Ran Cheng, Jyoti Katoch, Simranjeet Singh

Correlated Electron Materials

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130 Scopus citations

Abstract

Spin–orbit torque (SOT)-driven deterministic control of the magnetic state of a ferromagnet with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is key to next-generation spintronic applications including non-volatile, ultrafast and energy-efficient data-storage devices. However, field-free deterministic switching of perpendicular magnetization remains a challenge because it requires an out-of-plane antidamping torque, which is not allowed in conventional spin-source materials such as heavy metals and topological insulators due to the system’s symmetry. The exploitation of low-crystal symmetries in emergent quantum materials offers a unique approach to achieve SOTs with unconventional forms. Here we report an experimental realization of field-free deterministic magnetic switching of a perpendicularly polarized van der Waals magnet employing an out-of-plane antidamping SOT generated in layered WTe₂, a quantum material with a low-symmetry crystal structure. Our numerical simulations suggest that the out-of-plane antidamping torque in WTe₂ is essential to explain the observed magnetization switching.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1029-1034
Number of pages	6
Journal	Nature Materials
Volume	21
Issue number	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-022-01275-5
State	Published - Sep 2022

Funding

Funding for this research was provided primarily by the Center for Emergent Materials at The Ohio State University, a National Science Foundation (NSF) MRSEC through award number DMR-2011876. R.M. acknowledges NSF support through an AGEP-GRS supplement to award DMR-1809145. H.Z. and R.C. are supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under grant FA9550-19-1-0307. J.Y. acknowledges support from the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division. D.G.M. acknowledges support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation\u2019s EPiQS Initiative through grant number GBMF9069. J.E.G. acknowledges financial support from the Center of Emergent Materials, an NSF MRSEC, under grant number DMR-2011876. D.W. gratefully acknowledges the financial support by the German Science Foundation DFG Research Fellowship (WE6480/1). Support for h-BN crystal growth from the Office of Naval Research from award N00014-20-1-2427 is appreciated. Electron microscopy was performed at the Center for Electron Microscopy and Analysis at The Ohio State University.

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Kao, I. H., Muzzio, R., Zhang, H., Zhu, M., Gobbo, J., Yuan, S., Weber, D., Rao, R., Li, J., Edgar, J. H., Goldberger, J. E., Yan, J., Mandrus, D. G., Hwang, J., Cheng, R., Katoch, J., & Singh, S. (2022). Deterministic switching of a perpendicularly polarized magnet using unconventional spin–orbit torques in WTe₂. Nature Materials, 21(9), 1029-1034. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-022-01275-5

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title = "Deterministic switching of a perpendicularly polarized magnet using unconventional spin–orbit torques in WTe2",

abstract = "Spin–orbit torque (SOT)-driven deterministic control of the magnetic state of a ferromagnet with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is key to next-generation spintronic applications including non-volatile, ultrafast and energy-efficient data-storage devices. However, field-free deterministic switching of perpendicular magnetization remains a challenge because it requires an out-of-plane antidamping torque, which is not allowed in conventional spin-source materials such as heavy metals and topological insulators due to the system{\textquoteright}s symmetry. The exploitation of low-crystal symmetries in emergent quantum materials offers a unique approach to achieve SOTs with unconventional forms. Here we report an experimental realization of field-free deterministic magnetic switching of a perpendicularly polarized van der Waals magnet employing an out-of-plane antidamping SOT generated in layered WTe2, a quantum material with a low-symmetry crystal structure. Our numerical simulations suggest that the out-of-plane antidamping torque in WTe2 is essential to explain the observed magnetization switching.",

author = "Kao, {I. Hsuan} and Ryan Muzzio and Hantao Zhang and Menglin Zhu and Jacob Gobbo and Sean Yuan and Daniel Weber and Rahul Rao and Jiahan Li and Edgar, {James H.} and Goldberger, {Joshua E.} and Jiaqiang Yan and Mandrus, {David G.} and Jinwoo Hwang and Ran Cheng and Jyoti Katoch and Simranjeet Singh",

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Kao, IH, Muzzio, R, Zhang, H, Zhu, M, Gobbo, J, Yuan, S, Weber, D, Rao, R, Li, J, Edgar, JH, Goldberger, JE, Yan, J, Mandrus, DG, Hwang, J, Cheng, R, Katoch, J & Singh, S 2022, 'Deterministic switching of a perpendicularly polarized magnet using unconventional spin–orbit torques in WTe₂', Nature Materials, vol. 21, no. 9, pp. 1029-1034. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-022-01275-5

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T1 - Deterministic switching of a perpendicularly polarized magnet using unconventional spin–orbit torques in WTe2

AU - Kao, I. Hsuan

AU - Muzzio, Ryan

AU - Zhang, Hantao

AU - Zhu, Menglin

AU - Gobbo, Jacob

AU - Yuan, Sean

AU - Weber, Daniel

AU - Rao, Rahul

AU - Li, Jiahan

AU - Edgar, James H.

AU - Goldberger, Joshua E.

AU - Yan, Jiaqiang

AU - Mandrus, David G.

AU - Hwang, Jinwoo

AU - Cheng, Ran

AU - Katoch, Jyoti

AU - Singh, Simranjeet

PY - 2022/9

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N2 - Spin–orbit torque (SOT)-driven deterministic control of the magnetic state of a ferromagnet with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is key to next-generation spintronic applications including non-volatile, ultrafast and energy-efficient data-storage devices. However, field-free deterministic switching of perpendicular magnetization remains a challenge because it requires an out-of-plane antidamping torque, which is not allowed in conventional spin-source materials such as heavy metals and topological insulators due to the system’s symmetry. The exploitation of low-crystal symmetries in emergent quantum materials offers a unique approach to achieve SOTs with unconventional forms. Here we report an experimental realization of field-free deterministic magnetic switching of a perpendicularly polarized van der Waals magnet employing an out-of-plane antidamping SOT generated in layered WTe2, a quantum material with a low-symmetry crystal structure. Our numerical simulations suggest that the out-of-plane antidamping torque in WTe2 is essential to explain the observed magnetization switching.

AB - Spin–orbit torque (SOT)-driven deterministic control of the magnetic state of a ferromagnet with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is key to next-generation spintronic applications including non-volatile, ultrafast and energy-efficient data-storage devices. However, field-free deterministic switching of perpendicular magnetization remains a challenge because it requires an out-of-plane antidamping torque, which is not allowed in conventional spin-source materials such as heavy metals and topological insulators due to the system’s symmetry. The exploitation of low-crystal symmetries in emergent quantum materials offers a unique approach to achieve SOTs with unconventional forms. Here we report an experimental realization of field-free deterministic magnetic switching of a perpendicularly polarized van der Waals magnet employing an out-of-plane antidamping SOT generated in layered WTe2, a quantum material with a low-symmetry crystal structure. Our numerical simulations suggest that the out-of-plane antidamping torque in WTe2 is essential to explain the observed magnetization switching.

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Deterministic switching of a perpendicularly polarized magnet using unconventional spin–orbit torques in WTe₂

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