Regensburg 2022 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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MA: Fachverband Magnetismus

MA 34: Functional Antiferromagnetism

MA 34.3: Vortrag

Donnerstag, 8. September 2022, 15:30–15:45, H48

Identification of Néel vector orientation in antiferromagnetic NiO thin films — •Christin Schmitt¹, Luis Sanchez-Tejerina², Rafael Ramos³, Eiji Saitoh^3,4, Giovanni Finocchio², Lorenzo Baldrati¹, and Mathias Kläui¹ — ¹Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Germany — ²Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, Physical Sciences and Earth Sciences, University of Messina, Italy — ³WPI-AIMR, Tohoku University, Japan — ⁴Department of Applied Physics, The University of Tokyo, Japan

Spintronics using antiferromagnets (AFM) is promising due to intrinsic dynamics in the THz range and the absence of stray fields. However, efficient writing and reading is necessary in terms of applications. Recently, current-induced writing of the Néel order in AFMs has been reported and different switching mechanisms have been put forward [1,2]. The mechanisms depend on the type of domains present. Here, we focus on antiferromagnetic NiO/Pt thin films, and image reversible electrical switching by photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) employing the x-ray magnetic linear dichroism (XMLD) effect. By varying the x-ray polarization and sample azimuthal angle, we identify the crystallographic orientation of the domains that can be switched and quantify the Néel vector direction, showing that the switching occurs between different T-domains [3]. Finally, we characterize the domain walls showing that they are non-chiral and reveal a large anisotropy in the NiO thin films. [1] T. Moriyama, et al., Sci. Rep. 8, 14167 (2018). [2] P. Zhang, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 247206 (2019). [3] C. Schmitt, et al., Phys. Rev. Appl. 15, 034047 (2021).