Magnetic Skyrmions and Magneto-Ionics

Synopsis

The coming end of Moore’s law underscores the need for transformative new approaches beyond the CMOS technology. Nanomagnetics and Spintronics offer an exciting new paradigm to address this grand challenge. For example, in recently discovered magnetic skyrmions, mostly at low temperatures, the unique spin texture and the topologically protected quantum state offer great potentials for low dissipation magnetic information storage. We have recently demonstrated the realization of room temperature artificial Bloch skyrmion lattices in their ground state [1]. In a second area, we have demonstrated effective magneto-ionic manipulation of metal/oxide interfaces due to a redox-driven oxygen migration, manifested through the interface-sensitive exchange bias effect [2] and controllable under an electric field [3]. These results show promise towards future energy-efficient spin-based nanoelectronics and information storage.

1. Nature Communications 6, 8462, (2015).
2. Nature Communications 7, 11050 (2016).
3. Nature Communications 7, 12264 (2016).