Observation of current-induced switching in non-collinear antiferromagnetic IrMn3 by differential voltage measurements
Sevdenur Arpaci, Victor Lopez-Dominguez, Jiacheng Shi, Luis Sánchez-Tejerina, Francesca Garesci, Chulin Wang, Xueting Yan, Vinod K. Sangwan, Matthew A. Grayson, Mark C. Hersam, Giovanni Finocchio, Pedram Khalili Amiri
Abstract
Abstract There is accelerating interest in developing memory devices using antiferromagnetic (AFM) materials, motivated by the possibility for electrically controlling AFM order via spin-orbit torques, and its read-out via magnetoresistive effects. Recent studies have shown, however, that high current densities create non-magnetic contributions to resistive switching signals in AFM/heavy metal (AFM/HM) bilayers, complicating their interpretation. Here we introduce an experimental protocol to unambiguously distinguish current-induced magnetic and nonmagnetic switching signals in AFM/HM structures, and demonstrate it in IrMn 3 /Pt devices. A six-terminal double-cross device is constructed, with an IrMn 3 pillar placed on one cross. The differential voltage is measured between the two crosses with and without IrMn 3 after each switching attempt. For a wide range of current densities, reversible switching is observed only when write currents pass through the cross with the IrMn 3 pillar, eliminating any possibility of non-magnetic switching artifacts. Micromagnetic simulations support our findings, indicating a complex domain-mediated switching process.