Field-Free Spin–Orbit Torque Switching of Canted van der Waals Magnets
Bing Zhao, Lalit Pandey, Khadiza Ali, Erdi Wang, Craig Polley, Balasubramanian Thiagarajan, Péter Makk, Marcos H. D. Guimarães, Saroj P. Dash
Abstract
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Spin–orbit torque (SOT) magnetization switching is crucial for next-generation energy-efficient spintronic technologies. The recent discovery of van der Waals (vdW) magnets holds promise for such SOT phenomena because of their tunable magnetic properties. However, a demonstration of energy-efficient and field-free SOT switching of vdW magnets is required for their potential applications. Here, we demonstrate field-free and deterministic switching using an intrinsic canted vdW magnet Fe 5 GeTe 2 in a heterostructure with Pt having a larger spin Hall conductivity up to room temperature. Using anomalous Hall electrical detection for magnetization readout, we reveal that field-free deterministic SOT switching in the Fe 5 GeTe 2 /Pt Hall devices can be attributed to the canted magnetic anisotropy of Fe 5 GeTe 2, originating from its crystal and magnetic structures. Detailed second harmonic Hall measurements exhibit a high spin Hall conductivity σ SH ∼ 3 × 10 5 ℏ/2 e Ω –1 m –1 with an SOT effective damping-like field of 0.06 mT per MA/cm 2 . These findings reveal efficient and field-free SOT phenomena in the canted vdW magnet Fe 5 GeTe 2 up to room temperature and highlight their usefulness in spintronic devices.