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arXiv · 2412.02491

Facilitating field-free perpendicular magnetization switching with a Berry curvature dipole in a Weyl semimetal

Dong Li·Xing-Yu Liu·Xing-Guo Ye·Zhen-Cun Pan·Wen-Zheng Xu·Peng-Fei Zhu·An-Qi Wang·Kenji Watanabe·Takashi Taniguchi·Zhi-Min Liao
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Abstract

We report the synergy between orbital and spin-orbit torques in WTe2/Fe3GeTe2 heterostructures characterized by a Berry curvature dipole. By applying a current along the a axis in WTe2, we detect an out-of-plane magnetization in the system, which we attribute to nonequilibrium orbital magnetization linked to the Berry curvature dipole based on first-principles calculations, manifesting as the orbital Edelstein effect. This effect generates orbital torques that enable field-free perpendicular magnetization switching. Furthermore, by applying a relatively small current along the a axis and a pulsed current along the b axis in WTe2, we demonstrate controllable field-free magnetization switching of the adjacent Fe3GeTe2 layer, independently manipulating the orbital and spin-orbit torques. Our findings not only enhance the understanding of the collaborative dynamics between these torques but also suggest potential applications in magnetoresistive random-access memory.

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Dong Li, Xing-Yu Liu, Xing-Guo Ye, Zhen-Cun Pan, Wen-Zheng Xu, Peng-Fei Zhu, An-Qi Wang, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Zhi-Min Liao. 2024-12-03. Facilitating field-free perpendicular magnetization switching with a Berry curvature dipole in a Weyl semimetal. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.110.l100409

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