The polar covalent bond between a single Au atom terminating the apex of an atomic force microscope tip and a C atom of graphene on SiC(0001) is exposed to an external electric field. For one field orientation the Au-C bond is strong enough to sustain the mechanical load of partially detached graphene, whilst for the opposite orientation the bond breaks easily. Calculations based on density functional theory and nonequilibrium Greens function methods support the experimental observations by unveiling bond forces that reflect the polar character of the bond. Field-induced charge transfer between the atomic orbitals modifies the polarity of the different electronegative reaction partners and the Au-C bond strength.
Our world is composed of various materials with different structures, where spin structures have been playing a pivotal role in spintronic devices of the contemporary information technology. Apart from conventional collinear spin materials such as collinear ferromagnets and collinear antiferromagnetically coupled materials, noncollinear spintronic materials have emerged as hot spots of research attention owing to exotic physical phenomena. In this Review, we firstly introduce two types noncollinear spin structures, i.e., the chiral spin structure that yields real-space Berry phases and the coplanar noncollinear spin structure that could generate momentum-space Berry phases, and then move to relevant novel physical phenomena including topological Hall effect, anomalous Hall effect, multiferroic, Weyl fermions, spin-polarized current, and spin Hall effect without spin-orbit coupling in these noncollinear spin systems. Afterwards, we summarize and elaborate the electric-field control of the noncollinear spin structure and related physical effects, which could enable ultralow power spintronic devices in future. In the final outlook part, we emphasize the importance and possible routes for experimentally detecting the intriguing theoretically predicted spin-polarized current, verifying the spin Hall effect in the absence of spin-orbit coupling and exploring the anisotropic magnetoresistance and domain-wall-related magnetoresistance effects for noncollinear antiferromagnetic materials.
Hybrid systems coupling quantum spin defects (QSD) and magnons can enable unique spintronic device functionalities and probes for magnetism. Here, we add electric field control of magnon-QSD coupling to such systems by integrating ferromagnet-ferroelectric multiferroic with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center spins. Combining quantum relaxometry with ferromagnetic resonance measurements and analytical modeling, we reveal that the observed electric-field tuning results from ferroelectric polarization control of the magnon-generated fields at the NV. Exploiting the demonstrated control, we also propose magnon-enhanced hybrid electric field sensors with improved sensitivity.
Room-temperature polar skyrmion bubbles that are recently found in oxide superlattice, have received enormous interests for their potential applications in nanoelectronics due to the nanometer size, emergent chirality, and negative capacitance. For practical applications, the ability to controllably manipulate them by using external stimuli is prerequisite. Here, we study the dynamics of individual polar skyrmion bubbles at the nanoscale by using in situ biasing in a scanning transmission electron microscope. The reversible electric field-driven phase transition between topological and trivial polar states are demonstrated. We create, erase and monitor the shrinkage and expansion of individual polar skyrmions. We find that their transition behaviors are substantially different from that of magnetic analogue. The underlying mechanism is discussed by combing with the phase-field simulations. The controllable manipulation of nanoscale polar skyrmions allows us to tune the dielectric permittivity at atomic scale and detailed knowledge of their phase transition behaviors provides fundamentals for their applications in nanoelectronics.
The interplay between band topology and magnetism can give rise to exotic states of matter. For example, magnetically doped topological insulators can realize a Chern insulator that exhibits quantized Hall resistance at zero magnetic field. While prior works have focused on ferromagnetic systems, little is known about band topology and its manipulation in antiferromagnets. Here, we report that MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ is a rare platform for realizing a canted-antiferromagnetic (cAFM) Chern insulator with electrical control. We show that the Chern insulator state with Chern number $C = 1$ appears as soon as the AFM to canted-AFM phase transition happens. The Chern insulator state is further confirmed by observing the unusual transition of the $C = 1$ state in the cAFM phase to the $C = 2$ orbital quantum Hall states in the magnetic field induced ferromagnetic phase. Near the cAFM-AFM phase boundary, we show that the Chern number can be toggled on and off by applying an electric field alone. We attribute this switching effect to the electrical field tuning of the exchange gap alignment between the top and bottom surfaces. Our work paves the way for future studies on topological cAFM spintronics and facilitates the development of proof-of-concept Chern insulator devices.
We demonstrate spin-accumulation signals controlled by the gate voltage in a metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor structure with a Si channel and a CoFe/$n^{+}$-Si contact at room temperature. Under the application of a back-gate voltage, we clearly observe the three-terminal Hanle-effect signal, i.e., spin-accumulation signal. The magnitude of the spin-accumulation signals can be reduced with increasing the gate voltage. We consider that the gate controlled spin signals are attributed to the change in the carrier density in the Si channel beneath the CoFe/$n^{+}$-Si contact. This study is not only a technological jump for Si-based spintronic applications with gate structures but also reliable evidence for the spin injection into the semiconducting Si channel at room temperature.