Atomistic modeling of spin and electron dynamics in two-dimensional magnets switched by two-dimensional topological insulators

Abstract

To design fast memory devices, we need material combinations which can facilitate fast read and write operation. We present a heterostructure comprising a two-dimensional (2D) magnet and a 2D topological insulator (TI) as a viable option for designing fast memory devices. We theoretically model spin-charge dynamics between the 2D magnets and 2D TIs. Using the adiabatic approximation, we combine the non-equilibrium Green's function method for spin-dependent electron transport, and time-quantified Monte-Carlo for simulating magnetization dynamics. We show that it is possible to switch the magnetic domain of a ferromagnet using spin-torque from spin-polarized edge states of 2D TI. We further show that the switching between TIs and 2D magnets is strongly dependent on the interface exchange ($J_{\mathrm{int}}$), and an optimal interface exchange depending on the exchange interaction within the magnet is required for efficient switching. Finally, we compare the experimentally grown Cr-compounds and show that Cr-compounds with higher anisotropy (such as $\rm CrI_3$) results in lower switching speed but more stable magnetic order.