Y. Y. Wang

Electrical control of Co/Ni magnetism adjacent to gate oxides with low oxygen ion mobility

We investigate the electrical manipulation of Co/Ni magnetization through a combination of ionic liquid and oxide gating, where HfO2 with a low O2− ion mobility is employed. A limited oxidation-reduction process at the metal/HfO2 interface can be induced by large electric field, which can greatly affect the saturated magnetization and Curie temperature of Co/Ni bilayer. Besides the oxidation/reduction process, first-principles calculations show that the variation of d electrons is also responsible for the magnetization variation. Our work discloses the role of gate oxides with a relatively low O2− ion mobility in electrical control of magnetism, and might pave the way for the magneto-ionic memory with low power consumption and high endurance performance.

Interlayer magnetostatic coupling and linear magnetoresistance in [Pd/Co]/MgO/Co junction sensor

We investigate interlayer magnetostatic coupling and linear magnetoresistance in [Pd/Co]/MgO/Co and [Pd/Co]/MgO/Co/MgO/[Co/Pd] tunnel junctions, where Co/Pd and Co ferromagnetic layers exhibit out-of-plane and in-plane magnetic anisotropy, respectively. Because of the magnetostatic interaction between Co moments and the stray field from Co/Pd stripe domains, the Co layer shows a significant enhancement of coercivity and exchange bias. Linear magnetoresistance is observed in both junctions in the field up to 15 kOe with the current perpendicular to the film plane, due to coherent rotation of the ferromagnets, making junctions with MgO barrier and orthogonal magnetization configuration a promising high magnetic field sensor.

Charge Transfer and Orbital Reconstruction in Strain-Engineered (La,Sr)MnO3/LaNiO3 Heterostructures.

We investigate charge transfer, orbital reconstruction, and the emergence of exchange bias in (La,Sr)MnO3/LaNiO3 heterostructures. We demonstrate that charge transfer from Mn(3+) ions to Ni(3+) ions is accompanied by the formation of hybridized Mn/Ni 3z(2) - r(2) orbits at the interface, instead of strain-stabilized Mn and Ni x(2) - y(2) orbits in the bulk films. In the heterostructures with ultrathin LaNiO3, orbital reconstruction induced by charge transfer results in magnetization frustration of (La,Sr)MnO3 at the interface. But the strain effect exerted by the growth of the LaNiO3 top layer plays a dominant role on orbital reconstruction in the heterostructures with thick LaNiO3, stabilizing 3z(2) - r(2) orbits. In this case, robust spin glass, associated with larger magnetization frustration, accounts for the exchange bias effect. Our work builds a bridge between the microscopic electronic structure and the macroscopic magnetic property, providing the possibility of manipulating the exotic states with the aid of strain engineering in oxide-based electronics.

Tuning of uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in amorphous CoFeB films

We demonstrate that the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy (UMA) of amorphous CoFeB films can be tuned by crystallinity and orbital moment ratio, combining the results of magnetization reversal and ferromagnetic resonance with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, x-ray-absorption near-edge structure and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. Isotropic polycrystalline buffers of tungsten (W), tantalum (Ta), and copper (Cu) between CoFeB and Si(100) substrates have direct and crucial bearing on the interfacial microstructure and orbital moment ratio. Compared with Ta and Cu buffer, CoFeB with W buffer exhibits obvious UMA and has lower crystallinity at the interface and higher orbital moment. Amorphous phase distributed homogeneously in CoFeB film grown on W buffer contributes to improve the easy-axis squareness with a sharp magnetization reversal. Our demonstrations not only realize effective tuning of UMA in amorphous CoFeB, but also provide an appealing alternative buffer (W) for CoFeB-based magnetic tunnel junctions.

Realization of the Meminductor

The meminductor was proposed to be a fundamental circuit memdevice parallel with the memristor, linking magnetic flux and current. However, a clear material model or experimental realization of a meminductor has been challenging. Here we demonstrate pinched hysteretic magnetic flux-current signals at room temperature based on the spin Hall magnetoresistance effect in several-nanometer-thick thin films, exhibiting the nonvolatile memorizing property and magnetic energy storage ability of the meminductor. Similar to the parameters of the capacitor, resistor, and inductor, meminductance, LM, is introduced to characterize the capability of the prepared meminductor. Our findings present an indispensable element of memdevices and open an avenue for nanoscale meminductor design and manufacture, which might contribute to low-power electronic circuits, information storage, and artificial intelligence.

Giant coercivity in perpendicularly magnetized cobalt monolayer

We report giant coercivity (HC) up to 35 kOe at 4 K, measured by the anomalous Hall effect, in perpendicularly magnetized Co (∼0.3 nm) films, where Co is approximately one monolayer. The HC is dramatically reduced with huge applied current, due to Joule heating rather than Rashba effect. It is also sensitive to temperatures, producing almost zero HC at 200 K. The Curie temperature of the Co monolayer is ∼275 K, far lower than that of bulk Co. The giant HC could be explained by the strong interaction at Co/Pd interface, providing a promising paradise: one monolayer, one permanent magnet.

Evidence for asymmetric rotation of spins in antiferromagnetic exchange-spring

We demonstrate an asymmetric rotation of the antiferromagnetic (AFM) spins in the exchange-spring driven by perpendicularly magnetized Co/Pt. The static and dynamic behaviors of the twisted spin structure are directly revealed by a combination of element specific soft-x-ray absorption spectra and magnetoresistance measurements. X-ray magnetic linear dichroism spectra as a function of AFM thickness clarify the features of the whole exchange-spring, while the interfacial uncompensated spins are identified by the x-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectra. Moreover, the observed tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) in AFM-based junctions based on this asymmetric rotation provides an electrical approach to monitoring the dynamic twist of the AFM spins. These investigations not only provide a deep insight into the spin structure of the exchange coupling layers but would also advance the development of AFM spintronics.

Tilt engineering of exchange coupling at G-type SrMnO3/(La,Sr)MnO3 interfaces

With the recent realization of hybrid improper ferroelectricity and room-temperature multiferroic by tilt engineering, “functional” octahedral tilting has become a novel concept in multifunctional perovskite oxides, showing great potential for property manipulation and device design. However, the control of magnetism by octahedral tilting has remained a challenging issue. Here a qualitative and quantitative tilt engineering of exchange coupling, one of the magnetic properties, is demonstrated at compensated G-type antiferromagnetic/ferromagnetic (SrMnO3/La2/3Sr1/3MnO3) interfaces. According to interfacial Hamiltonian, exchange bias (EB) in this system originates from an in-plane antiphase rotation (a−) in G-type antiferromagnetic layer. Based on first-principles calculation, tilt patterns in SrMnO3 are artificially designed in experiment with different epitaxial strain and a much stronger EB is attained in the tensile heterostructure than the compressive counterpart. By controlling the magnitude of octahedral tilting, the manipulation of exchange coupling is even performed in a quantitative manner, as expected in the theoretical estimation. This work realized the combination of tilt engineering and exchange coupling, which might be significant for the development of multifunctional materials and antiferromagnetic spintronics.

Exchange bias field induced symmetry-breaking of magnetization rotation in two-dimension

We investigate the effect of strain-induced intrinsic exchange bias field (HEB) on the magnetization rotation process in a nominally “single” layered La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 (LSMO) film. The intrinsic exchange bias appears when the LSMO film is grown on LaAlO3 substrate. The HEB is proved to be an effective approach to tuning the in-plane magnetization rotation, producing a 360° instead of 180° periodicity in the anisotropic magnetoresistance curves measured in a low external magnetic field. The planar Hall effect curves are asymmetric when the in-plane magnetization rotate between two orthogonal axes of LSMO, helped or hindered by the HEB. Our study reveals that the HEB in but not limited to LSMO with phase separation exhibits an unprecedentedly two-dimensional effect rather than merely establishing a reference magnetization direction as achieved in ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic bilayers, thus furthering the cognition of manipulating the magnetization orientation.

Field-direction sensitive magnetization reversal in a perpendicularly exchange-coupled system

Field-direction dependence of Hall resistance and anisotropic magnetoresistivity has been systematically investigated in a perpendicularly exchange-coupled [Pt/Co]/IrMn system. We combine the results of anomalous Hall effect and planar Hall effect to describe the process of magnetization reversal at all field angles. These measurements provide strong evidence that the Hall resistance is closely related to different field directions in the normal plane as well as in the film plane, revealing the sensitivity of the signals to the field direction even when it is slightly deviated from the film plane. These observed correlations between electrical properties and magnetization in the perpendicular exchange coupling system would not only help to understand the spin alignments of an exchange-coupled magnet, but also propose a possible magnetic sensor for full space detection, opening a promising avenue to detect a wide range of magnetic fields at all angles.