Identification of Néel Vector Orientation in Antiferromagnetic Domains Switched by Currents in <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline" overflow="scroll"><mml:mrow><mml:mi>Ni</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">O</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:mi>Pt</mml:mi></mml:math> Thin Films
Christin Schmitt, Lorenzo Baldrati, Luis Sánchez-Tejerina, Felix Schreiber, Andrew Ross, Mariia Filianina, Shilei Ding, Felix Fuhrmann, R. Ramos, Francesco Maccherozzi, D. Backes, Mohamad‐Assaad Mawass, Florian Kronast, S. València, Eiji Saitoh, Giovanni Finocchio, Mathias Kläui
Abstract
Understanding the electrical manipulation of the antiferromagnetic order is a crucial aspect to enable the design of antiferromagnetic devices working at THz frequencies. Focusing on collinear insulating antiferromagnetic $\mathrm{Ni}\mathrm{O}/\mathrm{Pt}$ thin films as a materials platform, we identify the crystallographic orientation of the domains that can be switched by currents and quantify the N\'eel-vector direction changes. We demonstrate electrical switching between different T domains by current pulses, finding that the N\'eel-vector orientation in these domains is along [$\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}5$ $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}5$ 19], different compared to the bulk $⟨112⟩$ directions. The final state of the in-plane component of the N\'eel vector ${\mathbf{n}}_{\mathrm{IP}}$ after switching by current pulses $\mathbf{j}$ along the $[1\phantom{\rule{0.1em}{0ex}}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1\phantom{\rule{0.1em}{0ex}}0]$ directions is ${\mathbf{n}}_{\mathrm{IP}}\ensuremath{\parallel}\mathbf{j}$. By comparing the observed N\'eel-vector orientation and the strain in the thin films, assuming that this variation arises solely from magnetoelastic effects, we quantify the order of magnitude of the magnetoelastic coupling coefficient as ${b}_{0}+2{b}_{1}=3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{7}\mathrm{J}/{\mathrm{m}}^{3}$. This information is key for the understanding of current-induced switching in antiferromagnets and for the design and use of such devices as active elements in spintronic devices.