Voltage-controlled magnetic-based devices having topological insulator/magnetic insulator heterostructure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9806710-B2
Application number	US-201615087244-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2016
Priority date	Mar 31, 2016
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

A voltage-controlled magnetic based device is described that includes a magnetic insulator; a topological insulator adjacent the magnetic insulator; and magnetic dopants within the topological insulator. The magnetic dopants are located within an edge region of the topological insulator to inhibit charge current flow in the topological insulator during a switching operation using an applied electric field generating by applying a switching voltage across two electrodes at opposite sides of the topological insulator. Power dissipation due to carrier-based currents can be avoided or at least minimized by the magnetic dopants at the edges of the topological insulator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A voltage-controlled magnetic-based device, comprising:
a magnetic material having a first contact plane;
a topological insulator adjacent the magnetic material at the first contact plane;
magnetic dopants within the topological insulator;
a first electrode at one side of the topological insulator at a second contact plane; and
a second electrode at an opposite side of the topological insulator at a third contact plane, wherein the second contact plane and the third contact plane are orthogonal to the first contact plane.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic dopants are located within an edge region of the topological insulator.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the topological insulator comprises Bi 2 Se 3 .

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the topological insulator comprises BiSb.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic dopants comprise chromium.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic dopants comprise iron.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic material comprises garnet.

8. A method of operating a voltage-controlled magnetic-based device comprising a magnetic material having a first contact plane; a topological insulator adjacent the magnetic material at the first contact plane; magnetic dopants within the topological insulator; a first electrode at one side of the topological insulator at a second contact plane; and a second electrode at an opposite side of the topological insulator at a third contact plane, wherein the second contact plane and the third contact plane are orthogonal to the first contact plane, the method comprising:
applying a switching voltage across the first electrode and the second electrode to generate an electric field through the topological insulator for a length of time sufficient to change a first magnetization direction of the magnetic material to a second magnetization direction opposite of the first magnetization direction.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein applying the switching voltage comprises applying a constant 0V to the first electrode and a switching voltage to the second electrode.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the switching voltage is a positive voltage.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the switching voltage is a negative voltage.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the switching voltage has a magnitude of 0.1 V to 1 V.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the switching voltage is applied at a switching frequency of 30 GHz.

Assignees

• Univ Iowa Res Found

Inventors

• Flatté Michael

Classifications

• H03K17/80 Primary

  using non-linear magnetic devices; using non-linear dielectric devices {(H03K17/95, H03K17/97 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H01L43/04

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L43/06

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L43/10

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H03K19/18

  using galvano-magnetic devices, e.g. Hall-effect devices · CPC title