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Updated: Sep 12, 2025
07:03
Measuring Magnetically-Tuned Ferroelectric Polarization in Liquid Crystals
Published on: August 15, 2018
8.9K
Designing non-volatile ferroelectric control of magnetic order in multiferroic In2Se3/bilayer
Ao Jie1, Qi Yong Ning1, Fang Cheng1
1School of Physics and Electronics Science, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensors and New Sensor Materials, Xiangtan 411201, People's Republic of China.
Summary
Ferroelectric control of magnetism in 2D materials is key for low-power memories. This study explores spin-split mechanisms in bilayer antiferromagnets, enabling novel multifunctional spintronic devices.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Spintronics
Background:
- Ferroelectric (FE) control of magnetism is crucial for non-volatile, low-power memory devices.
- Current research often focuses on monolayer ferromagnets, with limited exploration of spin-split mechanisms in bilayer antiferromagnets and multifunctional devices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the electronic structure of a 2D multiferroic van der Waals heterostructure (HS) with bilayer A-type antiferromagnet 1T-FeCl2 sandwiched between FE In2Se3.
- To explore the impact of FE polarization on spin-split mechanisms in bilayer antiferromagnets.
- To design novel multifunctional spintronic devices.
Main Methods:
- First-principles calculations were employed to study the electronic structure of the proposed HS.
- Four polarization configurations of the HS were analyzed by switching FE polarization directions of the In2Se3 layers.
- Interfacial charge redistribution at the In2Se3/FeCl2 interface was investigated.
Main Results:
- Bilayer 1T-FeCl2 (bi-FeCl2) maintained intralayer ferromagnetic (FM) and interlayer antiferromagnetic (AFM) coupling.
- FE polarization induced significant spin-polarized splitting of bi-FeCl2 bands (up to 0.34 eV).
- Spin-up and spin-down polarized current channels were created in different FeCl2 layers due to FE polarization.
Conclusions:
- The study demonstrates ferroelectric control of spin-split electronic bands in a 2D vdW heterostructure.
- A non-volatile, electric field-manipulated four-state spin field-effect transistor (FET) was designed, offering a new strategy for spintronics.
- This work overcomes limitations of traditional single-switch devices and advances research in multifunctional spintronic applications.
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