Exchange Bias Between van der Waals Materials: Tilted Magnetic States and Field-Free Spin-Orbit-Torque Switching.

Magnetic van der Waals heterostructures provide a unique platform to study magnetism and spintronics device concepts in the 2D limit. Here, studies of exchange bias from the van der Waals antiferromagnet CrSBr acting on the van der Waals ferromagnet Fe3GeTe2 (FGT) are reported. The orientation of the exchange bias is along the in-plane easy axis of CrSBr, perpendicular to the out-of-plane anisotropy of the FGT, inducing a strongly tilted magnetic configuration in the FGT. Furthermore, the in-plane exchange bias provides sufficient symmetry breaking to allow deterministic spin-orbit torque switching of the FGT in CrSBr/FGT/Pt samples at zero applied magnetic field. A minimum thickness of the CrSBr of >10 nm is needed to provide a non-zero exchange bias at 30 K.

Sagnac interferometry for high-sensitivity optical measurements of spin-orbit torque.

Sagnac interferometry can provide a substantial improvement in signal-to-noise ratio compared to conventional magnetic imaging based on the magneto-optical Kerr effect. We show that this improvement is sufficient to allow quantitative measurements of current-induced magnetic deflections due to spin-orbit torque even in thin-film magnetic samples with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, for which the Kerr rotation is second order in the magnetic deflection. Sagnac interferometry can also be applied beneficially for samples with in-plane anisotropy, for which the Kerr rotation is first order in the deflection angle. Optical measurements based on Sagnac interferometry can therefore provide a cross-check on electrical techniques for measuring spin-orbit torque. Different electrical techniques commonly give quantitatively inconsistent results so that Sagnac interferometry can help to identify which techniques are affected by unidentified artifacts.

Anisotropic Gigahertz Antiferromagnetic Resonances of the Easy-Axis van der Waals Antiferromagnet CrSBr.

We report measurements of antiferromagnetic resonances in the van der Waals easy-axis antiferromagnet CrSBr. The interlayer exchange field and magnetocrystalline anisotropy fields are comparable to laboratory magnetic fields, allowing a rich variety of gigahertz-frequency dynamical modes to be accessed. By mapping the resonance frequencies as a function of the magnitude and angle of applied magnetic field, we identify the different regimes of antiferromagnetic dynamics. The spectra show good agreement with a Landau-Lifshitz model for two antiferromagnetically coupled sublattices, accounting for interlayer exchange and triaxial magnetic anisotropy. Fits allow us to quantify the parameters governing the magnetic dynamics: At 5 K, the interlayer exchange field is µ0HE = 0.395(2) T, and the hard and intermediate-axis anisotropy parameters are µ0Hc = 1.30(2) T and µ0Ha = 0.383(7) T. The existence of within-plane anisotropy makes it possible to control the degree of hybridization between the antiferromagnetic resonances using an in-plane magnetic field.