Force-based reading and writing of individual single-atom magnets

Area of Science:

• Spintronics
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• High-density data storage is crucial for modern technology.
• Current magnetic storage methods face limitations in density and energy efficiency.
• Single-atom bits offer a potential solution for ultra-high density memory.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a method for reading and writing information at the single-atom level.
• To explore the potential of mechano-spintronics for low-energy data storage.
• To investigate the spin orientation control of individual holmium adatoms.

Main Methods:

• Utilized magnetic exchange force microscopy (MExFM) for atomic manipulation.
• Employed MExFM to read and write spin orientation of holmium adatoms on MgO thin films.
• Analyzed spin orientation stability due to uniaxial anisotropy.

Main Results:

• Successfully read and wrote spin orientation of individual holmium adatoms.
• Demonstrated that spin orientation can be controlled by mechanical tip interaction.
• Explained the writing mechanism via adsorption site symmetry reduction.

Conclusions:

• Atomic-scale mechano-spintronics is a viable approach for high-density, low-energy data storage.
• Individual holmium adatoms on MgO can serve as reliable single-atom bits.
• This work opens new avenues for developing next-generation memory technologies.