Room-Temperature Highly Efficient Nonvolatile Magnetization Switching by Current in van der Waals Fe₃GaTe₂ Devices

The ability to manipulate magnetic states by a low electric current represents a fundamental desire in spintronics. In recent years, two-dimensional van der Waals (vdW) magnetic materials have attracted an extensive amount of attention due to their appreciable spin-orbit torque effect. However, for most known vdW ferromagnets, their relatively low Curie temperatures (T_C) limit their applications. Consequently, low-power vdW spintronic devices that can operate at room temperature are in great demand. In this research, we fabricate nanodevices based on a solitary thin flake of vdW ferromagnet Fe₃GaTe₂, in which we successfully achieve nonvolatile and highly efficient magnetization switching by small currents at room temperature. Notably, the switching current density and the switching power dissipation are as low as 1.7 × 10⁵ A/cm² and 1.6 × 10¹³ W/m³, respectively, with an external magnetic field of 80 Oe; both are much reduced compared to those of conventional magnet/heavy metal heterostructure devices and other vdW devices.