We present recent advances in the development of magnetic memory devices based on antiferromagnetic (AFM) materials. We show strategies for electrical control of the magnetic order (i.e., writing of information) in AFM materials using spin-orbit torque, and discuss their experimental demonstration in devices based on multiple AFM metals [1, 2]. We then discuss perspectives for electrical readout of information from AFM materials, which, due to the absence of a net macroscopic magnetization, has long been considered impractical. This is a grand challenge requiring new approaches to the realization of large magnetoresistive (MR) effects in tunnel junctions involving AFM thin films, where electrical reading and writing operations can be integrated for memory and computing applications. We will discuss recent theoretical proposals and experimental progress in the development of such devices.
[1] Shi et al., Nature Electron., 3, 92 (2020)
[2] Arpaci et al., Nature Comm., 12, 3828 (2021)
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