Ding-Fu Shao: Néel spin currents for sublattice-resolved antiferromagnetic spintronics

Time: Nov. 8, 2023 (Wednesday) 15:30

Venue: Conference Room 8, Building A, Science and Education Building, Feicui Lake Campus

Speaker: Professor Ding-Fu Shao (Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Abstract: Ferromagnets are known to support spin-polarized currents that control various spin-dependent transport phenomena useful for spintronics. On the contrary, fully compensated antiferromagnets are long expected to be spin-independent, hindering the antiferromagnetic spintronic applications. In contrast to this common expectation, here we theoretically predict that antiferromagnets can host the Néel spin currents, i.e., spin currents selectively flowing through different magnetic sublattices. The Néel spin currents emerge in antiferromagnets with strong intra-sublattice coupling (hopping), such as the conventional A-type and C-type antiferromagnets and the unique X-type antiferromagnets we proposed recently. Néel spin currents can drive the spin-dependent transport phenomena such as the giant tunneling magnetoresistance and the sublattice-selective spin torques, promise realistic devices such as antiferromagnetic tunnel junctions and antiferromagnetic racetrack memories. Our works uncover the previously unexplored potentials of antiferromagnets and pave a new route to realize sublattice-resolved spintronic phenomena for the efficient writing and reading of information in antiferromagnetic spintronics.  

References:

[1] Ding-Fu Shao, et al., Nat. Commun. 12, 7061 (2021).

[2] Ding-Fu Shao, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 216702 (2023).

[3] Ding-Fu Shao, et al., arXiv: 2306.03026 (2023).

[4] Ding-Fu Shao, et al., arXiv: 2309.02634 (2023).

[5] Ding-Fu Shao, et al., arXiv: 2310.02139 (2023).

[6] Ding-Fu Shao, et al., arXiv: 2310.13271 (2023).

Prof. Ding-Fu Shao received his bachelor degree from China University of Mining and Technology in 2008, and Ph.d. from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2013. He was a research assistant professor at Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences from 2013 to 2016, and then became a postdoc at University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 2016 to 2021. In 2022, Ding-Fu joined Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences as a professor. Ding-Fu’s research is focused on exploring the fundamental properties of quantum materials using first-principles calculations along with model approaches. He has published more than 70 peer-reviewed papers, including 30+ first author or corresponding author paper in high-profile journals such as Physical Review Letters, Nature Communications, Science Advances. Recent interests include the symmetry related transport properties in antiferromagnetic and 2D ferroelectric materials and their applications in electronic and spintronic devices.