Magnetic Transistors with Strong Magnetoelectric Coupling and Spin–Orbit–Coupling Induced Nonreciprocity

Magnetic transistors represent a new class of spintronic devices where electronic transport is jointly controlled by magnetic order and gate voltage. Here, we experimentally realize such a transistor using the van der Waals antiferromagnetic semiconductor CrSBr [1], which exhibits strong magnetoelectric coupling. By electrostatically tuning the carrier density, we observe a gate-dependent evolution of magnetoresistance that reveals distinct transport regimes governed by magnetically driven carrier and mobility modulation. This strong coupling between magnetic order and electronic conduction enables direct electric control of magnetotransport, offering nonvolatile functionality and energy-efficient operation suitable for in-memory computing.

We further uncover pronounced nonreciprocal and nonlinear transport responses arising from gate-induced Rashba spin–orbit coupling [2], which breaks inversion symmetry and introduces asymmetric band dispersion. The resulting nonreciprocity exceeds that of typical magnetic heterostructures by several orders of magnitude and can be continuously tuned by gate voltage.

Together, these results introduce CrSBr-based magnetic transistors as a versatile platform for exploring the interplay among magnetic order, spin–orbit coupling, and electronic transport—paving the way toward energy-efficient spintronic devices that merge transistor operation with magnetic memory functionality.