Phys.org September 24, 2024
Current-driven antiferromagnetic order switching has implications for next-generation spintronic devices. Some reports have claimed that demagnetization above the Néel temperature due to Joule heating is critical for switching. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign presented a systematic method and an analytical model to quantify the thermal contribution due to Joule heating in micro-electronic devices, focusing on current-driven octupole switching in the non-collinear antiferromagnet, Mn3Sn. Their results consistently showed that the critical temperature for switching remained relatively constant above the Néel temperature, while the threshold current density depended on the choice of substrate and the base temperature. They provided an analytical model to calculate the Joule-heating temperature illustrating the reconfiguration of magnetic order during cooling from a demagnetized state of polycrystalline Mn3Sn. According to the researchers their work provides deeper insights into magnetization switching in antiferromagnets, and a general guideline for evaluating the Joule-heating temperature excursions in micro-electronic devices… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Octupole-moment switching in polycrystalline Mn3Sn. Credit: APL Materials. 12, 081107, August 14 2024