Topological Hall effect in SrRuO3thin films and heterostructures

Xu Niu; Bin-Bin Chen; Ni Zhong; Ping-Hua Xiang; Chun-Gang Duan

doi:10.1088/1361-648X/ac60d0

Topological Hall effect in SrRuO₃thin films and heterostructures

J Phys Condens Matter. 2022 Apr 14;34(24). doi: 10.1088/1361-648X/ac60d0.

Authors

Xu Niu¹, Bin-Bin Chen¹, Ni Zhong^{1

2}, Ping-Hua Xiang^{1

2}, Chun-Gang Duan^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Polar Materials and Devices (MOE) and Department of Electronics, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, People's Republic of China.
² Collaborative Innovation Center of Extreme Optics, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, People's Republic of China.

PMID: 35325882
DOI: 10.1088/1361-648X/ac60d0

Abstract

Transition metal oxides hold a wide spectrum of fascinating properties endowed by the strong electron correlations. In 4dand 5doxides, exotic phases can be realized with the involvement of strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC), such as unconventional magnetism and topological superconductivity. Recently, topological Hall effects (THEs) and magnetic skyrmions have been uncovered in SrRuO₃thin films and heterostructures, where the presence of SOC and inversion symmetry breaking at the interface are believed to play a key role. Realization of magnetic skyrmions in oxides not only offers a platform to study topological physics with correlated electrons, but also opens up new possibilities for magnetic oxides using in the low-power spintronic devices. In this review, we discuss recent observations of THE and skyrmions in the SRO film interfaced with various materials, with a focus on the electric tuning of THE. We conclude with a discussion on the directions of future research in this field.

Keywords: Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction; SrRuO3; heterostructures; spin–orbit coupling; thin films; topological Hall effect.