Phys.org September 22, 2024
Non-centrosymmetric polar conductors are intrinsic diodes that could be of use in the development of nonlinear applications. Such systems have recently been extended to non-centrosymmetric superconductors. An international team of researchers (USA – Harvard University, Northeastern University, MIT, UCLA, Boston College, Taiwan, India, Japan) has reported antiferromagnetic diode effect in a centrosymmetric crystal without directional charge separation. Large second-harmonic transport in a nonlinear electronic device enabled by the compensated antiferromagnetic state of even-layered MnBi2Te4. They showed that this antiferromagnetic diode effect could be used to create in-plane field-effect transistors and microwave-energy-harvesting devices, and electrical sum-frequency generation could be used as a tool to detect nonlinear responses in quantum materials… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Systematic investigations of the intrinsic antiferromagnetic diode effect. Credit: Nature Electronics, 12 August 2024