Nonvolatile Electric Control of Antiferromagnetic States on Nanosecond Timescales

Electrical manipulation of antiferromagnetic (AFM) states, a cornerstone of AFM spintronics, is a great challenge, requiring novel material platforms. Here we report the full control over AFM states by voltage pulses in the insulating Co_{3}O_{4} spinel well below its Néel temperature. We show that the strong linear magnetoelectric effect is fully governed by the orientation of the Néel vector. As a unique feature of Co_{3}O_{4}, the magnetoelectric energy can easily overcome the weak magnetocrystalline anisotropy; thus, the Néel vector can be manipulated on demand, either rotated smoothly or reversed suddenly, by combined electric and magnetic fields. We achieve the nonvolatile switching within a few tens of nanoseconds between time-reversed AFM states in macroscopic volumes by voltage pulses. These observations render quasicubic antiferromagnets, like Co_{3}O_{4}, an ideal platform for the ultrafast (picosecond to nanosecond) manipulation of microscopic AFM domains and may pave the way for the realization of AFM spintronic devices.