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Anisotropic magnetoresistance and nonvolatile memory in superlattices of La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 and antiferromagnet Sr2IrO4

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Abstract

Antiferromagnets have attracted considerable interest in the field of spintronics due to their attractive characteristics such as ultrafast spin dynamics and robustness against external magnetic field perturbations. Sr2IrO4 is a rare example of antiferromagnetic semiconductor oxide and has been extensively studied in anisotropic magnetoresistance-based spintronics. However, the anisotropic magnetoresistance of Sr2IrO4 films is usually very small. Herein, we have prepared a (Sr2IrO4)4/(La2/3Sr1/3MnO3)5 superlattice which shows an enhanced anisotropic magnetoresistance compared to Sr2IrO4 film or La2/3Sr1/3MnO3/Sr2IrO4 heterostructure and an obvious nonvolatile memory effect that is comparable to Sr2IrO4 single crystals. Through magnetic measurements, the increased coercivity and the exchange bias at low temperatures reveal the interfacial magnetic coupling between Sr2IrO4 and La2/3Sr1/3MnO3. Additionally, the remarkable anisotropic magnetoresistance and clear hysteresis of anisotropic magnetoresistance with distinct fourfold symmetry can be controlled by temperature and magnetic field. These findings demonstrate that the superlattices of heavy transition metal oxide Sr2IrO4 are excellent platforms for antiferromagnetic spintronics.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants Nos. 51627901 and 11574287), National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grants No. 2016YFA0401004), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grants Nos. WK2340000065 and WK2340000157), the Bureau of Facility Support and Budget, CAS, and the Anhui Initiative in Quantum Information Technologies (AHY100000).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China

    Hui Xu, Haoliang Huang, Zhicheng Wang, Zhangzhang Cui, Xiaofang Zhai, Jianlin Wang, Zhengping Fu & Yalin Lu

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China

    Haoliang Huang, Qingmei Wu, Zhangzhang Cui, Jianlin Wang, Zhengping Fu & Yalin Lu

  3. Anhui Laboratory of Advanced Photon Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China

    Haoliang Huang, Zhangzhang Cui, Jianlin Wang, Zhengping Fu & Yalin Lu

  4. Synergetic Innovation Center of Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China

    Haoliang Huang, Zhangzhang Cui, Xiaofang Zhai, Jianlin Wang, Zhengping Fu & Yalin Lu

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  1. Hui Xu
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Xu, H., Huang, H., Wu, Q. et al. Anisotropic magnetoresistance and nonvolatile memory in superlattices of La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 and antiferromagnet Sr2IrO4. J Mater Sci 55, 8211–8219 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-020-04585-8

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