Controlling Orbital Magnetic Moments in Interfacial Multiferroics for Advanced Spintronics Devices

Tuesday - February 20 2024, 17:22 UTC - 9 months ago

Japanese researchers have shown that strain-induced orbital control in interfacial multiferroics allows for specific manipulation of electron spins, leading to a large magnetoelectric effect. This can potentially improve the performance of spintronics devices and pave the way for efficient information writing technology.

The field of spintronics has revolutionized the world of information storage and processing by leveraging the unique characteristics of electron spin. However, one key challenge in advancing spintronics devices is the ability to direct magnetization with low electric fields. This is where the study by Jun Okabayashi and his team at the University of Tokyo comes in, as they reveal a strain-induced orbital control mechanism in interfacial multiferroics that could potentially lead to more efficient spintronics devices .

In a multiferroic material, both electric and magnetic properties can be controlled through an electric field, making them ideal candidates for spintronic devices. The interfacial multiferroics studied by Okabayashi and his colleagues consist of a junction between a ferromagnetic material and a piezoelectric material. By applying voltage, the direction of magnetization in the material can be controlled .

But how does this work at the microscopic level? The team showed that the strain generated from the piezoelectric material can change the orbital magnetic moments of the ferromagnetic material, resulting in a large magnetoelectric effect. This specific control of orbital magnetic moments is essential for achieving superior performance in spintronics devices.Using reversible strain, the team was also able to provide guidelines for designing materials with a large magnetoelectric effect .

This could potentially lead to the development of more efficient and low-power information writing technology.The findings of this study, published in NPG Asia Materials, were made possible with funding from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Japan Science and Technology Agency, The Spintronics Research Network of Japan, and the Yazaki Memorial Foundation for Science and Technology .