Tunneling current-controlled magnetic states in few-layer CrI₃

Controlling two-dimensional (2D) magnetism is pivotal for developing novel spintronic devices utilizing 2D van der Waals (vdW) materials. While advancements such as giant tunneling magnetoresistance, electrostatic gating-induced magnetization transition, and twisted angle modulated magnetism in 2D vdW magnets have been moted, the influence of tunneling current in these magnet-based tunnel junctions remains under-explored. Here, we report on a novel discovery of tunneling-current-induced unidirectional spin state transition and stochastic switching in a few-layer CrI₃. At a moderate tunneling current, we can deterministically switch the spin configurations between spin parallel and spin antiparallel states. This switching is attributed to the nonequilibrium spin accumulation in graphene electrodes. Furthermore, we detected stochastic switching between these SAP and SP states, with the probabilities tunable by the bias current. Our findings mark a significant advancement in controlling magnetic phase transitions in 2D vdW magnets.