arXiv subjects

Licong Peng

Publications and source records attributed to Licong Peng.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Diamond-based sensing of stray fields from the bulk of thin-film magnets via nano-indentation

Measurement of the magnetization in the bulk of thin-film or two-dimensional materials is important for understanding their intrinsic properties without the complications from edges or domain walls. However, the stray fields from the bulk vanish or are very weak, which limits the application of direct measurement methods. Here, we develop a non-destructive approach to directly measuring the stray fields from the bulk of thin-film magnets at arbitrarily designatable locations, with nanoscale spatial resolution. We employ nano-indentation to induce the leakage of stray fields from the materials and use nano-diamond magnetometers to measure them. We apply the method to iron thin films and determine the intrinsic magnetization in the bulk of the materials. This work provides direct access to the intrinsic magnetic properties of thin-film and low-dimensional materials, as well as a method to study the mechanical effects on magnetization in nanomaterials.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2025

Reconfigurable Room Temperature Exchange Bias through Néel Order Switching in van der Waals Heterostructures

Exchange bias effect plays a crucial role in modern magnetic memory technology. Recently, van der Waals magnetic materials have emerged and shown potential in spintronic devices at atomic scale. Owing to their tunable physical properties and the flexibility in fabrication, the van der Waals heterostructures offer more possibilities for investigating potential mechanisms of the exchange bias effect. However, due to low magnetic ordering temperatures for most van der Waals magnets, to establish exchange bias in van der Waals antiferromagnet/ferromagnet heterostructures at room temperature is challenging. In this study, we fabricate (Fe$_{0.56}$Co$_{0.44}$)$_{5}$GeTe$_{2}$(FCGT)/Fe$_{3}$GaTe$_{2}$(FGaT) heterostructures with magnetic ordering temperatures of each component well above room temperature to achieve a room temperature exchange bias effect. It is found that the sign and magnitude of the exchange bias field can be efficiently controlled by manipulating the Néel order of FCGT with magnetic field. The manipulation of Néel order shows significant magnetic field dependence. A strong pre-set field induces a switch in the Néel order of FCGT, which aligns the interfacial magnetization at the FCGT/FGaT interface, leading to robust exchange bias, as revealed by both transport measurements and macro-spin model calculations. Our findings demonstrate the intrinsic manipulation and switchable of room-temperature exchange bias in all-van der Waals heterostructures and further promote the development of novel two-dimensional spintronic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Layer-dependent field-free switching of Néel vector in a van der Waals antiferromagnet

Two-dimensional antiferromagnets, combining the dual advantages of van der Waals (vdW) and antiferromagnetic materials, provide an unprecedented platform for exploring emergent spin-related phenomena. However, electrical manipulation of Néel vectors in vdW antiferromagnets - the cornerstone of antiferromagnetic spintronics - remains challenging. Here, we report layer-dependent electrical switching of the Néel vector in an A-type vdW antiferromagnet $(Fe,Co)_3$$GaTe_2$ (FCGT) with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The Néel vector of FCGT with odd-number vdW layers can be 180° reversed via spin-orbit torques. Furthermore, we achieve field-free switching in an all-vdW, all-antiferromagnet heterostructure of FCGT/CrSBr in which the noncollinear interfacial spin texture breaks the mirror symmetry. Our results establish layer-controlled spin symmetries and interfacial spin engineering as universal paradigms for manipulating antiferromagnetic order, paving the way for realising reliable and efficient vdW antiferromagnetic devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Semiconducting behaviors at epitaxial Ca0.5TaO3 interfaces

Emergent phenomena take place in symmetry-breaking systems, notably the recently discovered two-dimensional electron gas and its tunable superconductivities near the KTaO3 interfaces. Here, we synthesized perovskite Ca0.5TaO3 films along both [001] and [111] orientations. Different from the KTaO3 system, Ca0.5TaO3 films show semiconducting behaviors when capped with LaAlO3 films in both [001] and [111] orientations. By growing films at higher temperatures, more oxygen vacancies can be introduced, and the carrier density can be tuned from ~ 1014 cm-2 to ~ 1016 cm-2. Another difference is that the superconducting transition temperature Tc in KTaO3 (111) increases linearly along with its carrier density, while the Ca0.5TaO3 (111) remains semiconducting when carrier density ranges from ~ 1014 cm-2 to ~ 1016 cm-2. Based on the density function theory calculation, Ca0.5TaO3 and KTaO3 show similar electronic band structures. According to the energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, we found heavy Sr diffusion from the substrate to the Ca0.5TaO3 layer, which may destroy the interfacial conductivity. Our work demonstrates that besides the oxygen vacancies, electronic transport is sensitive to the atomic intermixing near the interface in tantulates.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Ferromagnetism and structural phase transition in monoclinic FeGe film

Binary compound FeGe hosts multiple structures, from cubic and hexagonal to monoclinic. Compared to the well-known skyrmion lattice in the cubic phase and the antiferromagnetic charge-density wave in the hexagonal phase, the monoclinic FeGe is less explored. Here, we synthesized the monoclinic FeGe films on Al2O3 (001) and studied their structural, magnetic, and transport properties. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy characterizations indicate that the FeGe films are epitaxial to the substrate. Unlike the antiferromagnetic bulk, the monoclinic FeGe films are ferromagnetic with Curie-temperature as high as ~ 800 K, contributing to the anomalous Hall effect in the transport measurements. Similar to the hexagonal FeGe, we captured a structural phase transition in the monoclinic FeGe films at ~ 100 K in real and reciprocal spaces by transmission electron microscope. Our work enriches the phase diagram of the FeGe family and suggests that FeGe offers an ideal platform for studying multiphase transitions and related device applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Harnessing Interlayer Magnetic Coupling for Efficient, Field-Free Current-Induced Magnetization Switching in a Magnetic Insulator

Owing to the unique features of low Gilbert damping, long spin-diffusion lengths and zero Ohmic losses, magnetic insulators are promising candidate materials for next-generation spintronic applications. However, due to the localized magnetic moments and the complex metal-oxide interface between magnetic insulators and heavy metals, spin-functional Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions or spin Hall and Edelstein effects are weak, which diminishes the performance of these typical building blocks for spintronic devices. Here, we exploit the exchange coupling between metallic and insulating magnets for efficient electrical manipulation of heavy metal/magnetic insulator heterostructures. By inserting a thin Co layer, we enhance the spin-orbit torque efficiency by more than 20 times, which significantly reduces the switching current density. Moreover, we demonstrate field-free current-induced magnetization switching caused by a symmetry-breaking non-collinear magnetic texture. Our work launches magnetic insulators as an alternative platform for low-power spintronic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Efficient current-induced spin torques and field-free magnetization switching in a room-temperature van der Waals magnet

The discovery of magnetism in van der Waals (vdW) materials has established unique building blocks for the research of emergent spintronic phenomena. In particular, owing to their intrinsically clean surface without dangling bonds, the vdW magnets hold the potential to construct a superior interface that allows for efficient electrical manipulation of magnetism. Despite several attempts in this direction, it usually requires a cryogenic condition and the assistance of external magnetic fields, which is detrimental to the real application. Here, we fabricate heterostructures based on Fe3GaTe2 flakes that possess room-temperature ferromagnetism with excellent perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The current-driven non-reciprocal modulation of coercive fields reveals a high spin-torque efficiency in the Fe3GaTe2/Pt heterostructures, which further leads to a full magnetization switching by current. Moreover, we demonstrate the field-free magnetization switching resulting from out-of-plane polarized spin currents by asymmetric geometry design. Our work could expedite the development of efficient vdW spintronic logic, memory and neuromorphic computing devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Doping control of magnetic anisotropy for stable antiskyrmion formation in schreibersite (Fe,Ni)$_3$P with $S_4$ symmetry

Magnetic skyrmions, vortex-like topological spin textures, have attracted much interest in a wide range of research fields from fundamental physics to spintronics applications. Recently, growing attention has also been paid to antiskyrmions emerging in opposite topological charge in non-centrosymmetric magnets with $D_{2\mathrm{d}}$ or $S_4$ symmetry. In these magnets, complex interplay among anisotropic Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, and magnetic dipolar interactions generates a variety of magnetic structures. However, the relation between the stability of antiskyrmions and these magnetic interactions remains to be elucidated. In this work, we control the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy of schreibersite (Fe,Ni)$_3$P with $S_4$ symmetry by doping and investigate its impact on the stability of antiskyrmions. Our magnetometry study, supported by ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy, shows that the variation of the Ni content and slight doping with 4$d$ transition metals considerably change the magnetic anisotropy. In particular, doping with Pd induces easy-axis anisotropy, giving rise to formation of antiskyrmions, while a temperature-induced spin reorientation is observed in a Rh-doped compound. In combination with Lorentz transmission electron microscopy and micromagnetic simulations, we quantitatively analyze the stability of antiskyrmion as functions of uniaxial anisotropy and demagnetization energy, and demonstrate that subtle balance between them is necessary to stabilize the antiskyrmions.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Tunable Néel-Bloch magnetic twists in Fe3GeTe2 with van der Waals structure

The advent of ferromagnetism in two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) magnets has stimulated high interest in exploring topological magnetic textures, such as skyrmions for use in future skyrmion-based spintronic devices. To engineer skyrmions in vdW magnets by transforming Bloch-type magnetic bubbles into Néel-type skyrmions, the heterostructure of heavy metal/vdW magnetic thin film has been made to induce interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI). However, the unambiguous identification of the magnetic textures inherent to vdW magnets, e.g., whether the magnetic twists (skyrmions/domain walls) are Néel- or Bloch-type, is unclear. Here we demonstrate that the Néel- or Bloch-type magnetic twists can be tuned in the vdW magnet Fe3GeTe2 (FGT) with/without interfacial DMI. We use an in-plane magnetic field to align the modulation wavevector q of the magnetizations in order to distinguish the Néel- or Bloch-type magnetic twists. We observe that q is perpendicular to the in-plane field in the heterostructure (Pt/oxidized-FGT/FGT/oxidized-FGT), while q aligns at a rotated angle with respect to the field direction in the thin plate by thinning bulk FGT. We find that the aligned domain wall twists hold fan-like modulations, coinciding qualitatively with our computational results.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Room-temperature antiskyrmions and sawtooth surface textures in a noncentrosymmetric magnet with $S_4$ symmetry

Topological spin textures have attracted much attention both for fundamental physics and spintronics applications. Among them, antiskyrmions possess a unique spin configuration with Bloch-type and Néel-type domain walls due to anisotropic Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) in the noncentrosymmetric crystal structure. However, antiskyrmions have thus far only been observed in a few Heusler compounds with $D_{2\mathrm{d}}$ symmetry. Here, we report a new material Fe$_{1.9}$Ni$_{0.9}$Pd$_{0.2}$P in a different symmetry class ($S_4$ symmetry), where antiskyrmions exist over a wide temperature region including room temperature, and transform to skyrmions upon changing magnetic field and lamella thickness. The periodicity of magnetic textures greatly depends on crystal thickness, and domains with anisotropic sawtooth fractals are observed at the surface of thick crystals, which are attributed to the interplay between dipolar interaction and DMI as governed by crystal symmetry. Our findings provide a new arena to study antiskyrmions, and should stimulate further research on topological spin textures and their applications.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Néel-type skyrmions and their current-induced motion in van der Waals ferromagnet-based heterostructures

Since the discovery of ferromagnetic two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) crystals, significant interest on such 2D magnets has emerged, inspired by their appealing properties and integration with other 2D family for unique heterostructures. In known 2D magnets, spin-orbit coupling (SOC) stabilizes perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA). Such a strong SOC could also lift the chiral degeneracy, leading to the formation of topological magnetic textures such as skyrmions through the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI). Here, we report the experimental observation of Néel-type chiral magnetic skyrmions and their lattice (SkX) formation in a vdW ferromagnet Fe3GeTe2 (FGT). We demonstrate the ability to drive individual skyrmion by short current pulses along a vdW heterostructure, FGT/h-BN, as highly required for any skyrmion-based spintronic device. Using first principle calculations supported by experiments, we unveil the origin of DMI being the interfaces with oxides, which then allows us to engineer vdW heterostructures for desired chiral states. Our finding opens the door to topological spin textures in the 2D vdW magnet and their potential device application.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Skyrmion phase and competing magnetic orders on a breathing kagome lattice

Magnetic skyrmion textures are realized mainly in non-centrosymmetric, e.g. chiral or polar, magnets. Extending the field to centrosymmetric bulk materials is a rewarding challenge, where the released helicity / vorticity degree of freedom and higher skyrmion density result in intriguing new properties and enhanced functionality. We report here on the experimental observation of a skyrmion lattice (SkL) phase with large topological Hall effect and an incommensurate helical pitch as small as 2.8 nm in metallic Gd3Ru4Al12, which materializes a breathing kagomé lattice of Gadolinium moments. The magnetic structure of several ordered phases, including the SkL, is determined by resonant x-ray diffraction as well as small angle neutron scattering. The SkL and helical phases are also observed directly using Lorentz transmission electron microscopy. Among several competing phases, the SkL is promoted over a low-temperature transverse conical state by thermal fluctuations in an intermediate range of magnetic fields.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

A centrosymmetric hexagonal magnet with superstable biskyrmion magnetic nanodomains in a wide temperature range of 100K to 340K

Here, we report on the experimental discovery of biskyrmion magnetic nanodomains at RT and the observation of a biskyrmion-derived topological Hall effect (THE) in the centrosymmetric hexagonal MnNiGa magnet. Using a phase reconstruction technique based on a transport-of-intensity equation (TIE), we established the texture of the biskyrmion spin. Results from Lorentz transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the topological Hall effect revealed that the biskyrmion phase is stable over a much wider temperature range (100 K to ~340K) and a larger magnetic field range in our material than in skyrmion-hosting bulk crystals reported previously[1-3,6]. The super-wide operating temperature and the broad range of material options indicate important progress toward the realization of skyrmion-based spintronic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗