Optical control of magnetism in NiFe/VO₂ heterostructures

Optical methods for magnetism manipulation have been considered as a promising strategy for ultralow-power spintronics. Strategies based on all optical switching (AOS), hot electrons and photosensitive-material-based devices have already generated exciting new prospects both for fundamental physics and technological applications. However, a widely applicable method to combine optical operation with magnetic modulation is still highly desired. Here, the strongly correlated electron material VO₂ is introduced to realize phase-transition based optical control of the magnetism in NiFe. [1] The heterostructure features appreciable modulations both in electrical and magnetic properties. Utilizing this optically controlled magnetism modulation feature, programmable Boolean logic gates (AND, OR, NAND, NOR, XOR, NXOR and NOT) for high-speed and low-power data processing are demonstrated based on this engineered heterostructure. As a demonstration of phase-transition spintronics, this work may pave the way for next-generation electronics in the post-Moore era.

1) arXiv: 1805.02453.