399 research outputs found
Emergence of robust 2D skyrmions in SrRuO3 ultrathin film without the capping layer
Magnetic skyrmions have fast evolved from a novelty, as a realization of
topologically protected structure with particle-like character, into a
promising platform for new types of magnetic storage. Significant engineering
progress was achieved with the synthesis of compounds hosting room-temperature
skyrmions in magnetic heterostructures, with the interfacial
Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions (DMI) conducive to the skyrmion formation.
Here we report findings of ultrathin skyrmion formation in a few layers of
SrRuO3 grown on SrTiO3 substrate without the heavy-metal capping layer.
Measurement of the topological Hall effect (THE) reveals a robust stability of
skyrmions in this platform, judging from the high value of the critical field
1.57 Tesla (T) at low temperature. THE survives as the field is tilted by as
much as 85 degrees at 10 Kelvin, with the in-plane magnetic field reaching up
to 6.5 T. Coherent Bragg Rod Analysis, or COBRA for short, on the same film
proves the rumpling of the Ru-O plane to be the source of inversion symmetry
breaking and DMI. First-principles calculations based on the structure obtained
from COBRA find significant magnetic anisotropy in the SrRuO3 film to be the
main source of skyrmion robustness. These features promise a few-layer SRO to
be an important new platform for skyrmionics, without the necessity of
introducing the capping layer to boost the spin-orbit coupling strength
artificially.Comment: Supplementary Information available upon reques
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