Quantitative Study on Current-Induced Effect in an Antiferromagnet Insulator/Pt Bilayer Film

Abstract

© 2019 American Physical Society. A quantitative investigation of the current-induced torque in antiferromagnets represents a great challenge due to the lack of an independent method for controlling Neél vectors. By utilizing an antiferromagnetic insulator with the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction α-Fe2O3, we show that the Neél vector can be controlled with a moderate external field, which is further utilized to calibrate the current-induced magnetic dynamics. We find that the current-induced magnetoresistance change in antiferromagnets can be complicated by resistive switching that does not have a magnetic origin. By excluding nonmagnetic switching and comparing the current-induced dynamics with the field-induced one, we determine the nature and magnitude of current-induced effects in Pt/α-Fe2O3 bilayer films.