Demonstration of Spin Current Switch across Ferro-Antiferromagnetic Transition

FeRh has been attracted great attention due to its first-order magnetic phase transition between antiferromagnetic (AFM) and ferromagnetic (FM) states around room temperature. Moreover, the phase-transition temperature can be readily modulated by the magnetic field. In our work, we demonstrate a spin current switch through the phase transition in FeRh by utilizing electrical or thermal excitation [1]. While a large magnetoresistance ratio of 50% is obtained between the AFM and FM states, the spin current valve’s on/off ratio can be virtually infinite in the thermal transport. The on/off valve, triggered by modulating the temperature or magnetic field, shows a promising feature for the AFM spin current switching devices.

[1] 1. Yi-Hui Zhang, Ting-Wei Weng, Tsao-Chi Chuang*, Danru Qu, and Ssu-Yen Huang*, Adv. Quantum Technol., 3 20200059 (2020).