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Antiferromagnetic spintronics exhibits ultra-high operational speed and stability in a magnetic field, holding promise for the realization of next-generation ultra-high-speed magnetic storage. However, theoretical exploration of the electronic transport properties of antiferromagnetic-multiferroic tunnel junction (AMFTJ) devices remains largely unexplored. Here, we design an antiferromagnet/ferroelectric barrier/antiferromagnet van der Waals heterojunction, renamed vdW AMFTJ, using a bilayer MnBi$_2$Te$_4$/In$_2$Se$_3$/bilayer MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ (MBT-2L/IS/MBT-2L) as the prototype. Based on first-principles calculations using the nonequilibrium Green's function method combined with density functional theory, we theoretically investigate the spin-resolved electronic transport properties of this AMFTJ. By manipulating the various possible magnetization directions of the multilayer antiferromagnetic MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ and the ferroelectric polarization direction of the In$_2$Se$_3$ within the junction, sixteen distinct non-volatile resistance states can be revealed and manipulated by applying external biaxial strain and bias voltage. We predict maximum tunneling magnetoresistance (electroresistance) values of $3.79\times10^{4}$\% ($2.41\times10^{5}$\%) in the equilibrium state, which can increase up to $5.01\times10^{5}$\% ($4.97\times10^{5}$\%) under external bias voltage. Furthermore, the perfect spin filtering effect is also present in our AMFTJ. Our results highlight the tremendous potential of the MBT-2L/IS/MBT-2L vdW AMFTJ in non-volatile memory, expanding the application avenues for antiferromagnetic spintronic devices.

Van der Waals multiferroic tunnel junctions (vdW-MFTJs) with multiple nonvolatile resistive states are highly suitable for new physics and next-generation storage electronics. However, currently reported vdW-MFTJs are based on two types of materials, i.e., vdW ferromagnetic and ferroelectric materials, forming a multiferroic system. This undoubtedly introduces additional interfaces, increasing the complexity of experimental preparation. Herein, we engineer vdW intrinsic MFTJs utilizing bilayer VS$_2$. By employing the nonequilibrium Green's function combined with density functional theory, we systematically investigate the influence of three types of electrodes (including non-vdW pure metal Ag/Au, vdW metallic 1T-MoS$_2$/2H-PtTe$_2$, and vdW ferromagnetic metallic Fe$_3$GaTe$_2$/Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$) on the electronic transport properties of VS$_2$-based intrinsic MFTJs. We demonstrate that these MFTJs manifest a giant electrode-dependent electronic transport characteristic effect. Comprehensively comparing these electrode pairs, the Fe$_3$GaTe$_2$/Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$ electrode combination exhibits optimal transport properties, the maximum TMR (TER) can reach 10949\% (69\%) and the minimum resistance-area product (RA) is 0.45 $\Omega$$\mu$m$^{2}$, as well as the perfect spin filtering and negative differential resistance effects. More intriguingly, TMR (TER) can be further enhanced to 34000\% (380\%) by applying an external bias voltage (0.1 V), while RA can be reduced to 0.16 $\Omega$$\mu$m$^{2}$ under the influence of biaxial stress (-3\%). Our proposed concept of designing vdW-MFTJs using intrinsic multiferroic materials points towards new avenues in experimental exploration., Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures

Rare earth-transition metal ferrimagnets, featuring antiferromagnetically coupled, inequivalent magnetic sublattices, have garnered increasing interest in the burgeoning field of ferrimagnetic spintronics. However, controlling their magnetism with low voltages,a key to reducing power consumption,remains challenging, particularly due to the poorly understood mechanisms underlying bulk perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA). Here, we introduce a method involving voltage-driven hydrogen insertion into interstitial sites between Tb and Co atoms, selectively perturbing the atomic structure and enabling ultra-low-voltage (1.2 V) switching of bulk PMA to in-plane directions in ferrimagnetic films. Combining experimental and theoretical analysis, we find that the anisotropy switching originates from the reorientation of Tb orbital moments induced by the distortion of the crystal field. Initially aligned along Tb-Co bonding directions, the easy magnetization axis undergoes reorientation and switches by 90 deg,as substantiated by ab-initio calculations. Our study not only establishes the groundwork for voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy in ferrimagnetic films, facilitating the development of electrically-programmable ferrimagnetic spintronics, but also elucidates the atomic origins of PMA in amorphous ferrimagnets, shedding light on a long-standing question in this field., Comment: 4 Figures in manuscript (15 pages); 16 Figures, two Tables in Supplementary materials (21 pages)

A systematic investigation of spin injection behavior in Au/FM (FM = Fe and Ni) multilayers is performed using the superdiffusive spin transport theory. By exciting the nonmagnetic layer, the laser-induced hot electrons may transfer spin angular momentum into the adjacent ferromagnetic (FM) metals resulting in ultrafast demagnetization or enhancement. We find that these experimental phenomena sensitively depend on the particular interface reflectivity of hot electrons and may reconcile the different observations in experiment. Stimulated by the ultrafast spin currents carried by the hot electrons, we propose the multilayer structures to generate highly spin polarized currents for development of future ultrafast spintronics devices. The spin polarization of the electric currents carried by the hot electrons can be significantly enhanced by the joint effects of bulk and interfacial spin filtering. Meanwhile the intensity of the generated spin current can be optimized by varying the number of repeated stacking units and the thickness of each metallic layer., Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures

Multiferroic tunnel junctions (MFTJs) based on two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals heterostructures with sharp and clean interfaces at the atomic scale are crucial for applications in nanoscale multi-resistive logic memory devices. The recently discovered sliding ferroelectricity in 2D van der Waals materials has opened new avenues for ferroelectric-based devices. Here, we theoretically investigate the spin-dependent electronic transport properties of Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$/graphene/bilayer-$h$-BN/graphene/CrI$_3$ (FGT/Gr-BBN-Gr/CrI) all-vdW MFTJs by employing the nonequilibrium Green's function combined with density functional theory. We demonstrate that such FGT/Gr-BBN-Gr/CrI MFTJs exhibit four non-volatile resistance states associated with different staking orders of sliding ferroelectric BBN and magnetization alignment of ferromagnetic free layer CrI$_3$, with a maximum tunnel magnetoresistance (electroresistance) ratio, i.e., TMR (TER) up to $\sim$$3.36\times10^{4}$\% ($\sim$$6.68\times10^{3}$\%) at a specific bias voltage. Furthermore, the perfect spin filtering and remarkable negative differential resistance effects are evident in our MFTJs. We further discover that the TMR, TER, and spin polarization ratio under an equilibrium state can be enhanced by the application of in-plane biaxial strain. This work shows that the giant tunneling resistance ratio, multiple resistance states, and excellent spin-polarized transport properties of sliding ferroelectric BBN-based MFTJs indicate its significant potential in nonvolatile memories., Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures

In 2010, quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) in graphene was proposed in the presence of Rashba spin-orbit coupling and ferromagnetic exchange field. After a decade's experimental exploration, the anomalous Hall conductance can only reach about 0.25 in the units of $2e^2/h$, which was attributed to the tiny Rashba spin-orbit coupling. Here, we theoretically show that Re-intercalation in graphene/CrI$_3$ heterostructure can not only induce sizeable Rashba spin-orbit coupling ($>$ 40~meV), but also open up large band gaps at valleys $K$ (22.2 meV) and $K' $ (30.3 meV), and a global band gap over 5.5 meV (19.5 meV with random Re distribution) hosting QAHE. A low-energy continuum model is constructed to explain the underlying physical mechanism. We find that Rashba spin-orbit coupling is robust against external stress whereas a tensile strain can increase the global bulk gap. Furthermore, we also show that Re-intercalated graphene with hexagonal boron-nitride can also realize QAHE with bulk gap over 40~meV, indicating the tunability of $5d$-intercalated graphene-based heterostructure. Our finding makes a great leap towards the experimental realization of graphene-based QAHE, and will definitely accelerate the practical application of graphene-based low-power electronics.

Two-dimensional (2D) magnetic materials empowered with nontrivial band topology may lead to the emergence of exotic quantum states with significant application potentials. Here we predict a family tree of 2D magnetic materials with tunable topological properties, starting from the parental materials of CrI3 and CrBr3. The underlying design principle is that, by substituting the alternating sites of the Cr honeycomb lattice sandwiched between the halogen layers with V or Mn, the parental materials of trivial ferromagnetic insulators are ripe to be converted into topological systems. Specifically, our first-principles calculations show that, due to the elegant interplay between bandgap narrowing and spin-orbital coupling, CrI3 branches into high-temperature quantum anomalous Hall insulators of CrVI6 and CrMnI6 with different topological invariants, while CrBr3 branches into topological half-metals of CrVBr6 and CrMnBr6. Those novel 2D magnets are also shown to be easily exfoliated from their bulk counterparts. The present study is thus geared to advance the field of 2D magnetic materials into the topologically nontrivial realm.

Topological magnetic excitations rooted in Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) are promising information carriers for next-generation memory and spintronic devices. The recently discovered two-dimensional (2D) magnets provide fertile new platforms for revealing rich physical phenomena with atomic-scale precision, as exemplified by the enhanced DMI associated with an effective electric field that breaks the inversion symmetry. Here we use first-principles calculations to establish a conceptually difierent compositional engineering approach to induce giant DMI in a representative CrMnI$_6$ 2D magnet, and the underlying mechanism is rooted in the spontaneous inversion symmetry breaking in the bipartite system. Using atomistic magnetics simulations, we further reveal that bimeronic excitations can emerge upon cooling a spin random state or perturbing a ferromagnetic state. Strikingly, the bimeron can exhibit unidirectional soliton-like propagation, and such a ratchet phenomenon is highly desirable for racetrack memories. These findings may prove instrumental in developing novel devices for quantum information based on 2D magnets.

The modulation of topological electronic states by an external magnetic field is highly desired for condensed matter physics. Schemes to achieve this have been proposed theoretically, but few can be realized experimentally. Here, combining transverse transport, theoretical calculations, and scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/S) investigations, we provide an observation that the topological electronic states, accompanied by an emergent magneto-transport phenomenon, were modulated by applying magnetic fields through induced non-collinear magnetism in the magnetic Weyl semimetal EuB6. A giant unconventional anomalous Hall effect (UAHE) is found during the magnetisation re-orientation from easy axis to hard ones in magnetic fields, with a UAHE peak around the low field of 5 kOe. Under the reasonable spin-canting effect, the folding of the topological anti-crossing bands occurs, generating a strong Berry curvature that accounts for the observed UAHE. Field-dependent STM/S reveals a highly synchronous evolution of electronic density of states, with a dI/dV peak around the same field of 5 kOe, which provides evidence to the folded bands and excited UAHE by external magnetic fields. This finding elucidates the connection between the real-space non-collinear magnetism and the k-space topological electronic states and establishes a novel manner to engineer the magneto-transport behaviours of correlated electrons for future topological spintronics., Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures