APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY:
- Using chemisorption to design and tailor spin-orbitronics devices
ADVANTAGES:
- Earth-abundant elements oxygen or hydrogen could replace rare noble metals in device applications
- New possibilities of using chemisorption for spin-orbitronics devices
ABSTRACT:
Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have discovered large Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interactions induced by chemisorbed species on ferromagnets. There has been a recent observation of chiral domain walls and magnetic skyrmions. Chiral spin textures have generated huge interest in condensed matter and materials science leading to a host of fascinating phenomena due to the topologically protected quantum state and emergent electromagnetic field.
Specifically, researchers have demonstrated that the chemisorbed species of oxygen or hydrogen on the surface of ferromagnetic films can induce significant Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction that is comparable to that induced by heavy metals. As a result, novel spin textures such as chiral domain walls and magnetic skyrmions from systems with achiral magnetic states are created and stabilized. Additionally, researchers found that the magnetic chirality can be reversibly controlled by the chemisorbed hydrogen.
The use of oxygen or hydrogen in device applications is an ideal alternative to noble metals because noble metals are extremely rare. This discovery creates new possibilities of using chemisorption to design and tailor spin-orbitronics devices.
DEVELOPMENT STAGE: Proven principle
STATUS: Patent pending. Available for licensing or collaborative research.