1
|
Zhou Z, Zheng Z, He J, Wang J, Prezhdo OV, Frauenheim T. Ultrafast Laser Control of Antiferromagnetic-Ferrimagnetic Switching in Two-Dimensional Ferromagnetic Semiconductor Heterostructures. NANO LETTERS 2023. [PMID: 37307217 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c01350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Realizing ultrafast control of magnetization switching is of crucial importance for information processing and recording technology. Here, we explore the laser-induced spin electron excitation and relaxation dynamics processes of CrCl3/CrBr3 heterostructures with antiparallel (AP) and parallel (P) systems. Although an ultrafast demagnetization of CrCl3 and CrBr3 layers occurs in both AP and P systems, the overall magnetic order of the heterostructure remains unchanged due to the laser-induced equivalent interlayer spin electron excitation. More crucially, the interlayer magnetic order switches from antiferromagnetic (AFM) to ferrimagnetic (FiM) in the AP system once the laser pulse disappears. The microscopic mechanism underpinning this magnetization switching is dominated by the asymmetrical interlayer charge transfer combined with a spin-flip, which breaks the interlayer AFM symmetry and ultimately results in an inequivalent shift in the moment between two FM layers. Our study opens up a new idea for ultrafast laser control of magnetization switching in two-dimensional opto-spintronic devices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhaobo Zhou
- Bremen Center for Computational Materials Science, University of Bremen, Bremen 28359, Germany
| | - Zhenfa Zheng
- Department of Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Junjie He
- Department of Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Prague 12843, Czech Republic
| | - Jinlan Wang
- School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
| | - Oleg V Prezhdo
- Departments of Chemistry, and Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - Thomas Frauenheim
- School of Science, Constructor University, Bremen 28759, Germany
- Beijing Computational Science Research Center, Beijing 100193, China
- Shenzhen JL Computational Science and Applied Research Institute, Shenzhen 518109, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Laser-induced topological spin switching in a 2D van der Waals magnet. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1378. [PMID: 36914683 PMCID: PMC10011585 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37082-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) magnets represent one of the most promising horizons for energy-efficient spintronic applications because their broad range of electronic, magnetic and topological properties. However, little is known about the interplay between light and spin properties in vdW layers. Here we show that ultrafast laser excitation can not only generate different type of spin textures in CrGeTe3 vdW magnets but also induce a reversible transformation between them in a topological toggle switch mechanism. Our atomistic spin dynamics simulations and wide-field Kerr microscopy measurements show that different textures can be generated via high-intense laser pulses within the picosecond regime. The phase transformation between the different topological spin textures is obtained as additional laser pulses are applied to the system where the polarisation and final state of the spins can be controlled by external magnetic fields. Our results indicate laser-driven spin textures on 2D magnets as a pathway towards reconfigurable topological architectures at the atomistic level.
Collapse
|
3
|
De A, Arekapudi SSPK, Koch L, Samad F, Panda SN, Böhm B, Hellwig O, Barman A. Magnetic Configuration Driven Femtosecond Spin Dynamics in Synthetic Antiferromagnets. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:13970-13979. [PMID: 35275629 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c01555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Ultrafast demagnetization in diverse materials has sparked immense research activities due to its captivating richness and contested underlying mechanisms. Among these, the two most celebrated mechanisms have been the spin-flip scattering (SFS) and spin transport (ST) of optically excited carriers. In this work, we have investigated femtosecond laser-induced ultrafast demagnetization in perpendicular magnetic anisotropy-based synthetic antiferromagnets (p-SAFs) where [Co/Pt]n-1/Co multilayer blocks are separated by Ru or Ir spacers. Our investigation conclusively shows that the ST of optically excited carriers can have a significant contribution to the ultrafast demagnetization in addition to SFS processes. Moreover, we have also achieved an active control over the individual mechanisms by specially designing the SAF samples and altering the external magnetic field and excitation fluence. Our study provides a vital understanding of the underlying mechanism of ultrafast demagnetization in synthetic antiferromagnets, which will be crucial in future research and applications of antiferromagnetic spintronics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anulekha De
- Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Material Sciences, S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Block JD, Sector-III, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700 106, India
| | | | - Leopold Koch
- Institute of Physics, Chemnitz University of Technology, Reichenhainer Straße 70, D-09107 Chemnitz, Germany
- Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - Fabian Samad
- Institute of Physics, Chemnitz University of Technology, Reichenhainer Straße 70, D-09107 Chemnitz, Germany
- Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - Surya Narayan Panda
- Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Material Sciences, S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Block JD, Sector-III, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700 106, India
| | - Benny Böhm
- Institute of Physics, Chemnitz University of Technology, Reichenhainer Straße 70, D-09107 Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Olav Hellwig
- Institute of Physics, Chemnitz University of Technology, Reichenhainer Straße 70, D-09107 Chemnitz, Germany
- Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - Anjan Barman
- Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Material Sciences, S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Block JD, Sector-III, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700 106, India
| |
Collapse
|