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07:03
Measuring Magnetically-Tuned Ferroelectric Polarization in Liquid Crystals
Published on: August 15, 2018
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Manipulating chiral spin transport with ferroelectric polarization
Xiaoxi Huang1, Xianzhe Chen2,3, Yuhang Li4
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Nature Materials
|April 15, 2024
Summary
Researchers observed chiral spin transport in multiferroic bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) magnons, controlled by electric fields. This discovery enables efficient magnetization switching and energy-scalable logic devices.
Area of Science:
- Condensed matter physics
- Materials science
- Spintronics
Background:
- Magnons, quanta of spin waves, are crucial for spin transport in magnetic insulators.
- Traditionally, magnons are manipulated via magnetic dipoles, breaking time-reversal symmetry.
- Controlling magnons through electric fields offers a new paradigm for spintronics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally observe and control chiral spin transport using multiferroic BiFeO3.
- To investigate the magnetoelectric control of magnons.
- To demonstrate energy-efficient spintronic logic devices based on multiferroic magnons.
Main Methods:
- Experimental observation of chiral spin transport in BiFeO3.
- Control of magnon transport by reversing ferroelectric polarization.
- Measurement of spin-torque efficiency for magnetization switching.
- Fabrication of an all-oxide logic device utilizing magnetoelectric control.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated ferroelectric control of magnons with up to 18% modulation at room temperature.
- Achieved efficient magnetization switching of adjacent magnets using magnon-induced spin torque.
- Exhibited spin-torque efficiency comparable to the spin Hall effect.
- Successfully demonstrated an energy-scalable logic device with spin-orbit injection, detection, and magnetoelectric control.
Conclusions:
- The study establishes a new class of multiferroic magnons with electric field tunability.
- This work paves the way for low-dissipation nanoelectronic devices.
- Ferroelectric control of magnons offers a promising route for advanced spintronic applications.
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