Voltage-Controlled Magnon Transistor via Tuning Interfacial Exchange Coupling

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Spintronics

Background:

• Magnonics offers a Joule-heating-free alternative to conventional electronics by utilizing magnons, which are charge-neutral spin excitations.
• Direct manipulation of magnon transport using electric fields is challenging due to the electric neutrality of magnons.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a voltage-controlled magnon transistor for regulating magnon transport.
• To explore the modulation of spin-magnon conversion efficiency via gate voltage.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a Pt-Y3Fe5O12-Pt sandwich structure.
• Application of a gate voltage (Vg) at the nonmagnetic metal and magnetic insulator interface.
• Utilizing the magnon-mediated electric current drag (MECD) effect.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated voltage control over magnon transport through modulation of electron tunneling probability.
• Achieved a voltage-controlled magnon transistor with a gate efficiency of 10%/(MV/cm) at 300 K.
• Successfully modulated the MECD signal magnitude with the applied gate voltage.

Conclusions:

• The developed gate voltage scheme effectively controls magnon transport.
• This work presents a promising prototype for voltage-controlled magnon devices.
• The findings pave the way for practical applications in magnonics and low-power electronics.