Identifying Switching of Antiferromagnets by Spin-Orbit Torques
Martin Jourdan, Jonathan Bläßer, Guzmán Orero Gámez, Sonka Reimers, Lukas Odenbreit, Miriam Fischer, Yuran Niu, Evangelos Golias, Francesco Maccherozzi, Armin Kleibert, Hermann Stoll, Mathias Kläui
Published: 2024/12/20
Abstract
Antiferromagnets are promising candidates for ultrafast spintronic applications, leveraging current-induced spin-orbit torques. However, experimentally distinguishing between different switching mechanisms of the staggered magnetization (N\'eel vector) driven by current pulses remains a challenge. In an exemplary study of the collinear antiferromagnetic compound Mn$_2$Au, we demonstrate that slower thermomagnetoelastic effects predominantly govern switching over a wide parameter range. In the regime of short current pulses in the nanosecond range, however, we observe fully N\'eel spin-orbit torque driven switching. We show that this ultrafast mechanism enables the complete directional alignment of the N\'eel vector by current pulses in device structures.