Current-induced Néel order switching in a W/IrMn heterostructure

Central to the development of next-generation spintronic memories that are high speed, reliable, and offer high storage density, all-electrical manipulation of antiferromagnetic Néel order has emerged as a prominent area of research in recent years. We present an investigation of current-induced Néel order switching in W/IrMn heterostructures, examining the dependence of the magnetoresistance signal on temperature and current density. We found that distinct mechanisms can lead to alterations in the shape and direction of the signal, and by incorporating a supplemented model based on thermal activation, we quantitatively distinguished between magnetic and nonmagnetic contributions within the signal response and provided a detailed explanation referencing the distribution of antiferromagnetic grain volumes. Our findings reveal that within a moderate current range, the switching of the Néel vector dominated the detected Hall signal, while at high currents, pronounced thermal effects including electromigration became predominant. This comprehensive analysis paves the way for further research aimed at achieving full electrical control and harnessing the potential of antiferromagnets in more complex spintronic devices.