Coexisting Non‐Trivial Van der Waals Magnetic Orders Enable Field‐Free Spin‐Orbit Torque Magnetization Dynamics

Abstract

Abstract The discovery of van der Waals (vdW) magnetic materials exhibiting non‐trivial and tunable magnetic interactions can lead to exotic magnetic states that are not readily attainable with conventional materials. Such vdW magnets can provide a unique platform for studying new magnetic phenomena and realizing magnetization dynamics for energy‐efficient and non‐volatile spintronic memory and computing technologies. Here, the coexistence of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic orders in vdW magnet (Co 0.5 Fe 0.5 ) 5‐x GeTe 2 (CFGT) above room temperature, inducing an intrinsic exchange bias and canted perpendicular magnetism is discovered. Such non‐trivial intrinsic magnetic order enables to realize energy‐efficient, magnetic field‐free, and deterministic spin‐orbit torque (SOT) switching of CFGT in heterostructure with Pt. These experiments, in conjunction with density functional theory and Monte Carlo simulations, demonstrate the coexistence of non‐trivial magnetic orders in CFGT, which enables field‐free SOT magnetization dynamics in spintronic devices.