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Transition metal nitrides and their mixed crystals for spintronics
Keita Ito1,2, Syuta Honda3, Takashi Suemasu4
1Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan.
Nanotechnology
|October 14, 2021
Summary
Anti-perovskite transition metal nitrides offer diverse magnetic properties. Doping Mn4N enables ultrafast domain wall motion, crucial for advanced spintronics applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Solid State Chemistry
Background:
- Anti-perovskite transition metal nitrides display varied magnetic behaviors (ferromagnetic, ferrimagnetic, paramagnetic) based on the 3d transition metal.
- Fe4N and Co4N are room-temperature (RT) ferromagnetic, with minority spins influencing electrical transport.
- Mn4N is RT ferrimagnetic and exhibits perpendicular magnetic anisotropy due to tensile strain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the magnetic properties of individual anti-perovskite transition metal nitrides (Fe4N, Co4N, Ni4N, Mn4N).
- To discuss ternary compounds like Fe4-xAxN and Mn4-xB xN for spintronics applications.
- To analyze the preferential site occupancy of dopant atoms using advanced spectroscopic techniques.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on anti-perovskite transition metal nitrides.
- Analysis of magnetic properties, including ferromagnetism, ferrimagnetism, and anisotropy.
- X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) for site occupancy determination.
Main Results:
- Fe4N and Co4N exhibit RT ferromagnetism, with minority spins critical for transport.
- Mn4N shows RT ferrimagnetism and strain-induced perpendicular magnetic anisotropy.
- Impurity doping in Mn4N leads to magnetic compensation and ultrafast current-induced domain wall motion (3000 m s-1 at RT).
Conclusions:
- Anti-perovskite nitrides are promising for spintronics due to tunable magnetic properties.
- Ultrafast domain wall motion in doped Mn4N offers potential for low-energy, high-speed switching devices.
- Understanding dopant site preference is key to optimizing material performance for spintronics.
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