Ultrafast Laser Control of Antiferromagnetic–Ferrimagnetic Switching in Two-Dimensional Ferromagnetic Semiconductor Heterostructures
Abstract
Realizingultrafast control of magnetization switching is of crucialimportance for information processing and recording technology. Here,we explore the laser-induced spin electron excitation and relaxationdynamics processes of CrCl3/CrBr3 heterostructureswith antiparallel (AP) and parallel (P) systems.
Although an ultrafastdemagnetization of CrCl3 and CrBr3 layers occursin both AP and P systems, the overall magnetic order of the heterostructureremains unchanged due to the laser-induced equivalent interlayer spinelectron excitation. More crucially, the interlayer magnetic orderswitches from antiferromagnetic (AFM) to ferrimagnetic (FiM) in theAP system once the laser pulse disappears.
The microscopic mechanismunderpinning this magnetization switching is dominated by the asymmetricalinterlayer charge transfer combined with a spin-flip, which breaksthe interlayer AFM symmetry and ultimately results in an inequivalentshift in the moment between two FM layers. Our study opens up a newidea for ultrafast laser control of magnetization switching in two-dimensionalopto-spintronic devices.