Perovskite transition metal oxides (TMOs) are hallmark systems for studying electron correlations, with strong Coulomb interactions reaching the electron volt scale. Such interactions generally hinder coherent charge transport, limiting its observation to only moderately correlated TMOs. Among TMOs with strong electron correlations, the ferromagnetic perovskite manganite La1−xSrxMnO3 (LSMO) has attracted significant attention for spintronics applications due to its half-metallic nature and robust ferromagnetism, with a Curie temperature above room temperature. In this Letter, we report the emergence of oscillatory conduction in tunnel diodes incorporating an epitaxial thin LSMO layer—a phenomenon not previously observed in strongly correlated oxides. The observed oscillations originate from discrete quantum-well states formed via quantum confinement, indicating coherent transport across the LSMO layer. These quantum-well states are quantitatively explained using a tight-binding model tailored for the electronic structure of LSMO. Our findings demonstrate that high-quality epitaxial perovskite manganites can sustain coherent transport, even in the presence of strong electron correlations, offering avenues for oxide-based quantum and spintronics devices.
{"title":"Coherent transport in strongly correlated perovskite-manganite quantum wells","authors":"Tatsuro Endo, Yasufumi Araki, Munetoshi Seki, Hitoshi Tabata, Masaaki Tanaka, Shinobu Ohya","doi":"10.1063/5.0303809","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0303809","url":null,"abstract":"Perovskite transition metal oxides (TMOs) are hallmark systems for studying electron correlations, with strong Coulomb interactions reaching the electron volt scale. Such interactions generally hinder coherent charge transport, limiting its observation to only moderately correlated TMOs. Among TMOs with strong electron correlations, the ferromagnetic perovskite manganite La1−xSrxMnO3 (LSMO) has attracted significant attention for spintronics applications due to its half-metallic nature and robust ferromagnetism, with a Curie temperature above room temperature. In this Letter, we report the emergence of oscillatory conduction in tunnel diodes incorporating an epitaxial thin LSMO layer—a phenomenon not previously observed in strongly correlated oxides. The observed oscillations originate from discrete quantum-well states formed via quantum confinement, indicating coherent transport across the LSMO layer. These quantum-well states are quantitatively explained using a tight-binding model tailored for the electronic structure of LSMO. Our findings demonstrate that high-quality epitaxial perovskite manganites can sustain coherent transport, even in the presence of strong electron correlations, offering avenues for oxide-based quantum and spintronics devices.","PeriodicalId":8094,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics Letters","volume":"141 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145972300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Weikang Dong, Ze Hua, Xiaoxue Chang, Lixia Bao, Ruiwen Shao, Jiafang Li
The development of nanostructured LiFePO4 (LFP) electrodes represents a prominent research direction in the Li-ion battery field, owing to its intrinsic advantages such as high theoretical capacity and excellent structural stability. Studying the electrochemical reaction mechanisms at the atomic scale by in situ TEM is essential; however, the mechanisms of ion migration on LFP have not yet been fully elucidated. We report atomic-scale in situ TEM studies of delithiation and lithiation in multi-particle LFP coupled to a Li-rich garnet (LLZNO) solid electrolyte. During delithiation, LFP converts to a metastable L0.5FP via a periodicity-doubling mechanism (every second layer) accompanied by the emergence of a solid-solution zone, and we directly observe interparticle Li+ transport that drives reversible LFP–L0.5FP–LFP cycles. Conversely, under reductive bias, lithiation proceeds by an interface-dominated crystalline–amorphous transformation, identifying amorphization as a primary particle-level failure pathway. Tracking the structural evolution of LiFePO4 at the atomic scale during (de)lithiation provides key insights into its kinetic limitations and phase stability, which is essential for optimizing its electrochemical performance.
{"title":"Direct observation of the (de)lithiation process on the multi-particle LiFePO4 by in situ TEM","authors":"Weikang Dong, Ze Hua, Xiaoxue Chang, Lixia Bao, Ruiwen Shao, Jiafang Li","doi":"10.1063/5.0308406","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0308406","url":null,"abstract":"The development of nanostructured LiFePO4 (LFP) electrodes represents a prominent research direction in the Li-ion battery field, owing to its intrinsic advantages such as high theoretical capacity and excellent structural stability. Studying the electrochemical reaction mechanisms at the atomic scale by in situ TEM is essential; however, the mechanisms of ion migration on LFP have not yet been fully elucidated. We report atomic-scale in situ TEM studies of delithiation and lithiation in multi-particle LFP coupled to a Li-rich garnet (LLZNO) solid electrolyte. During delithiation, LFP converts to a metastable L0.5FP via a periodicity-doubling mechanism (every second layer) accompanied by the emergence of a solid-solution zone, and we directly observe interparticle Li+ transport that drives reversible LFP–L0.5FP–LFP cycles. Conversely, under reductive bias, lithiation proceeds by an interface-dominated crystalline–amorphous transformation, identifying amorphization as a primary particle-level failure pathway. Tracking the structural evolution of LiFePO4 at the atomic scale during (de)lithiation provides key insights into its kinetic limitations and phase stability, which is essential for optimizing its electrochemical performance.","PeriodicalId":8094,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics Letters","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145972473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Thariq Shanavas, Gregory Krueper, Jiangang Zhu, Wounjhang Park, Juliet T. Gopinath
Optical gyroscopes based on the Sagnac effect have been widely used for inertial navigation in aircraft, submarines, satellites, and unmanned robotics. With the rapid progress in the field of ultrahigh-quality whispering gallery mode and ring resonators in recent years, these devices offer the promise of a compact alternative to ring laser gyroscopes and fiber optic gyroscopes. Yet, the successful commercialization of a microresonator gyroscope has been hindered by the scaling of the Sagnac effect with resonator area. While several techniques have been proposed to enhance the Sagnac effect in microresonators, these enhancements also amplify the thermal noise in the microresonator. Here, we present an approach to measuring the Sagnac signal in chip-scale devices that overcomes this fundamental noise limitation to achieve unprecedented performance in a 200 μm optical resonator—the smallest reported to date. Our proof-of-concept design shows a 104 enhancement of the Sagnac signal while simultaneously suppressing thermal noise by 27 dB and environmental contributions to noise by 22 dB. We believe this approach offers a pathway to compact integrated photonic gyroscopes that reach the sensitivity required for inertial navigation.
{"title":"Nonlinear symmetry breaking to enhance the Sagnac effect in a microresonator gyroscope","authors":"Thariq Shanavas, Gregory Krueper, Jiangang Zhu, Wounjhang Park, Juliet T. Gopinath","doi":"10.1063/5.0301994","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0301994","url":null,"abstract":"Optical gyroscopes based on the Sagnac effect have been widely used for inertial navigation in aircraft, submarines, satellites, and unmanned robotics. With the rapid progress in the field of ultrahigh-quality whispering gallery mode and ring resonators in recent years, these devices offer the promise of a compact alternative to ring laser gyroscopes and fiber optic gyroscopes. Yet, the successful commercialization of a microresonator gyroscope has been hindered by the scaling of the Sagnac effect with resonator area. While several techniques have been proposed to enhance the Sagnac effect in microresonators, these enhancements also amplify the thermal noise in the microresonator. Here, we present an approach to measuring the Sagnac signal in chip-scale devices that overcomes this fundamental noise limitation to achieve unprecedented performance in a 200 μm optical resonator—the smallest reported to date. Our proof-of-concept design shows a 104 enhancement of the Sagnac signal while simultaneously suppressing thermal noise by 27 dB and environmental contributions to noise by 22 dB. We believe this approach offers a pathway to compact integrated photonic gyroscopes that reach the sensitivity required for inertial navigation.","PeriodicalId":8094,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics Letters","volume":"390 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145972297","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C. E. Quiñones, P. Reddy, S. Mita, S. Rathkanthiwar, C.-I. Liu, D. Khachariya, R. Kirste, R. Collazo, Z. Sitar
AlN p–n junction diodes with low specific ON-resistance (1.6 mΩ cm2), enabling forward current densities >1 kA/cm2, and reverse breakdown fields of 8 MV/cm, were demonstrated. The quasi-vertical device structure consisted of a p-AlGaN anode, an n-AlN drift layer, and an n-AlGaN back contact. The effect of the AlGaN/AlN band offset was studied by comparing devices with abrupt and compositionally graded junctions. Simulation and experimental data suggested that the valence band offset at the abrupt junction significantly limited hole injection into the AlN, limiting the forward current. This problem was mitigated with the use of a compositionally graded junction that showed an order of magnitude higher ON-state current density. These results show that high-current, high-breakdown AlN p–n junction diodes can be achieved by using compositional grading to circumvent the doping problem in p-type AlN.
{"title":"High-current, high-voltage AlN p–n junction diodes enabled by compositional grading","authors":"C. E. Quiñones, P. Reddy, S. Mita, S. Rathkanthiwar, C.-I. Liu, D. Khachariya, R. Kirste, R. Collazo, Z. Sitar","doi":"10.1063/5.0309581","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0309581","url":null,"abstract":"AlN p–n junction diodes with low specific ON-resistance (1.6 mΩ cm2), enabling forward current densities >1 kA/cm2, and reverse breakdown fields of 8 MV/cm, were demonstrated. The quasi-vertical device structure consisted of a p-AlGaN anode, an n-AlN drift layer, and an n-AlGaN back contact. The effect of the AlGaN/AlN band offset was studied by comparing devices with abrupt and compositionally graded junctions. Simulation and experimental data suggested that the valence band offset at the abrupt junction significantly limited hole injection into the AlN, limiting the forward current. This problem was mitigated with the use of a compositionally graded junction that showed an order of magnitude higher ON-state current density. These results show that high-current, high-breakdown AlN p–n junction diodes can be achieved by using compositional grading to circumvent the doping problem in p-type AlN.","PeriodicalId":8094,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics Letters","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145972295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Metallic delafossite PdRhO2 thin films were synthesized using a low-rhodium solution deposition strategy, achieving epitaxial growth despite a significant lattice mismatch. Comparative structural and electrical transport analyses demonstrate that reducing the lattice mismatch significantly improves both film quality and electrical performance. First-principles calculations reveal that the metallic conductivity in PdRhO2 originates primarily from Pd-derived states and their hybridization with Rh 4d orbitals at the Fermi level. Furthermore, a PdRhO2/β-Ga2O3 Schottky heterojunction was fabricated, exhibiting a rectification ratio on the order of ∼109 and a Schottky barrier height of 1.13 ± 0.06 eV. This barrier height exceeds the prediction of the Schottky–Mott rule, which is attributed to a naturally formed interfacial dipole layer. These findings offer a cost-effective pathway to epitaxial Rh-based thin films and highlight their potential for application in electronic integrated circuits.
{"title":"Solution-processed epitaxial PdRhO2 metallic films as Schottky electrodes","authors":"Renhuai Wei, Cheng Gao, Yuhao Meng, Lili Zhu, Jinghui Zhang, Ling Hu, Liang Li, Xiaoguang Zhu, Xuebin Zhu, Yuping Sun","doi":"10.1063/5.0290502","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0290502","url":null,"abstract":"Metallic delafossite PdRhO2 thin films were synthesized using a low-rhodium solution deposition strategy, achieving epitaxial growth despite a significant lattice mismatch. Comparative structural and electrical transport analyses demonstrate that reducing the lattice mismatch significantly improves both film quality and electrical performance. First-principles calculations reveal that the metallic conductivity in PdRhO2 originates primarily from Pd-derived states and their hybridization with Rh 4d orbitals at the Fermi level. Furthermore, a PdRhO2/β-Ga2O3 Schottky heterojunction was fabricated, exhibiting a rectification ratio on the order of ∼109 and a Schottky barrier height of 1.13 ± 0.06 eV. This barrier height exceeds the prediction of the Schottky–Mott rule, which is attributed to a naturally formed interfacial dipole layer. These findings offer a cost-effective pathway to epitaxial Rh-based thin films and highlight their potential for application in electronic integrated circuits.","PeriodicalId":8094,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics Letters","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145972315","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
David C. Moore, Spencer Ware, Zachary Anderson, Dhiren K. Pradhan, Roy H. Olsson, Deep Jariwala, Nicholas R. Glavin, W. Joshua Kennedy
Ferroelectric aluminum scandium nitride (AlScN) is a promising material for use in nonvolatile digital memory operating at temperatures well above the limits of current commercial technology. Ferrodiodes consisting of thin films of AlScN sandwiched between metal contacts exhibit polarization-dependent electrical conduction that can distinguish the on/off memory state with bias voltages below 10 V. However, the reliability and repeatability of key device parameters such as switching voltage and on/off ratio can change significantly with temperature. Understanding the temperature dependence of the material parameters that govern these phenomena is critical to the development of practical memory devices operating reliably at high temperature. We have systematically studied the changes in wake-up-like behavior in 40 nm AlScN films from room temperature to 700 °C. Above 300 °C, an anomalous decrease in device current arises when the applied voltage exceeds the minimum switching voltage. The temperature and rate dependence of the anomalous current loss suggests that thermally activated changes to the interlayer near the top electrode alter the local charged defect compensation. This causes the leakage current to decrease even while the net remnant polarization in the films increases.
{"title":"Temperature-dependent wake-up phenomena in AlScN ferrodiode memory devices","authors":"David C. Moore, Spencer Ware, Zachary Anderson, Dhiren K. Pradhan, Roy H. Olsson, Deep Jariwala, Nicholas R. Glavin, W. Joshua Kennedy","doi":"10.1063/5.0303160","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0303160","url":null,"abstract":"Ferroelectric aluminum scandium nitride (AlScN) is a promising material for use in nonvolatile digital memory operating at temperatures well above the limits of current commercial technology. Ferrodiodes consisting of thin films of AlScN sandwiched between metal contacts exhibit polarization-dependent electrical conduction that can distinguish the on/off memory state with bias voltages below 10 V. However, the reliability and repeatability of key device parameters such as switching voltage and on/off ratio can change significantly with temperature. Understanding the temperature dependence of the material parameters that govern these phenomena is critical to the development of practical memory devices operating reliably at high temperature. We have systematically studied the changes in wake-up-like behavior in 40 nm AlScN films from room temperature to 700 °C. Above 300 °C, an anomalous decrease in device current arises when the applied voltage exceeds the minimum switching voltage. The temperature and rate dependence of the anomalous current loss suggests that thermally activated changes to the interlayer near the top electrode alter the local charged defect compensation. This causes the leakage current to decrease even while the net remnant polarization in the films increases.","PeriodicalId":8094,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics Letters","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145972476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Two-dimensional (2D) Janus ferromagnetic (FM) materials have recently attracted considerable interest due to their intriguing properties. Their structural asymmetry and the resulting electronic structures endow them with interesting physical quantities (such as Berry curvature and Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction, DMI), which can induce a variety of topological phenomena. In this work, we theoretically predict a Janus TiSOH monolayer using first-principles calculations. Our results show that TiSOH is a FM semiconductor with a bandgap of ∼0.4 eV. The intrinsic polarity not only results in a large out-of-plane electric dipole of 0.247 eÅ and sizable piezoelectric coefficients (d11 ∼3.95 and d31 ∼2.37 pm/V), but also induces finite Berry curvatures at the K+ and K− valleys, as well as a sizable DMI (∼ 0.5 meV). When the spin polarization is aligned along the out-of-plane direction, a notable valley splitting of ∼57 meV occurs, which enables an anomalous valley Hall effect under suitable hole doping. Under ∼1.7% in-plane strain, band inversion occurs at the K+ valley, resulting in a Chern number of –1, which indicates a quantum anomalous Hall state. Additionally, applying 0.5% in-plane strain and a 1.3 T out-of-plane magnetic field leads to skyrmions with a size of ∼2.4 nm in the FM background. These findings not only suggest that the TiSOH monolayer is a promising candidate material for multifunctional spintronic devices, but also provide guidance for the design of 2D topological magnets.
{"title":"TiSOH monolayer: A ferromagnetic semiconductor with multiple topological properties","authors":"Guang Song, Qingyu Yan, Guannan Li, Bingwen Zhang, Benling Gao, Xiaokun Huang","doi":"10.1063/5.0304822","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0304822","url":null,"abstract":"Two-dimensional (2D) Janus ferromagnetic (FM) materials have recently attracted considerable interest due to their intriguing properties. Their structural asymmetry and the resulting electronic structures endow them with interesting physical quantities (such as Berry curvature and Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction, DMI), which can induce a variety of topological phenomena. In this work, we theoretically predict a Janus TiSOH monolayer using first-principles calculations. Our results show that TiSOH is a FM semiconductor with a bandgap of ∼0.4 eV. The intrinsic polarity not only results in a large out-of-plane electric dipole of 0.247 eÅ and sizable piezoelectric coefficients (d11 ∼3.95 and d31 ∼2.37 pm/V), but also induces finite Berry curvatures at the K+ and K− valleys, as well as a sizable DMI (∼ 0.5 meV). When the spin polarization is aligned along the out-of-plane direction, a notable valley splitting of ∼57 meV occurs, which enables an anomalous valley Hall effect under suitable hole doping. Under ∼1.7% in-plane strain, band inversion occurs at the K+ valley, resulting in a Chern number of –1, which indicates a quantum anomalous Hall state. Additionally, applying 0.5% in-plane strain and a 1.3 T out-of-plane magnetic field leads to skyrmions with a size of ∼2.4 nm in the FM background. These findings not only suggest that the TiSOH monolayer is a promising candidate material for multifunctional spintronic devices, but also provide guidance for the design of 2D topological magnets.","PeriodicalId":8094,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics Letters","volume":"58 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145972302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Recently observed fractional quantum anomalous Hall (FQAH) materials are candidates for topological quantum hardware, but their required anyon states are elusive. We point out dependence on monodromy of the fragile band topology in 2-cohomotopy. An algebro-topological theorem of L. Larmore and E. Thomas, [Math. Scand. 47, 232 (1980)], identifies FQAH anyons over momentum space. Admissible braiding phases involve 2C-th roots of unity, with C the Chern number. This lays the foundation for understanding symmetry-protected topological order in FQAH systems, reducing the problem to computations in equivariant cohomotopy.
{"title":"Identifying anyonic topological order in fractional quantum anomalous Hall systems","authors":"Hisham Sati, Urs Schreiber","doi":"10.1063/5.0305441","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0305441","url":null,"abstract":"Recently observed fractional quantum anomalous Hall (FQAH) materials are candidates for topological quantum hardware, but their required anyon states are elusive. We point out dependence on monodromy of the fragile band topology in 2-cohomotopy. An algebro-topological theorem of L. Larmore and E. Thomas, [Math. Scand. 47, 232 (1980)], identifies FQAH anyons over momentum space. Admissible braiding phases involve 2C-th roots of unity, with C the Chern number. This lays the foundation for understanding symmetry-protected topological order in FQAH systems, reducing the problem to computations in equivariant cohomotopy.","PeriodicalId":8094,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics Letters","volume":"267 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145972320","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Multiferroic materials have attracted significant attention for their potential applications in multifunctional spintronic devices. However, conventional multiferroics exhibit limited magnetoelectric coupling, as the magnetic and ferroelectric orders typically arise from distinct and incompatible mechanisms. In this study, we introduce a specific theoretical approach to magnetoelectric coupling that capitalizes on the intrinsic tunability of two-dimensional (2D) materials. Taking the prototypical 2D magnet CrI3 as an example, we demonstrate the following issues: (i) the easy magnetization axis of anti-aligned bilayer CrI3 exhibits an inherent inclination, attributed to crystalline symmetry breaking as determined by interlayer shifts; and (ii) spontaneous sliding ferroelectricity emerges, wherein the reversal of polarization signifies a phase transition between energetically preferable states. These findings reveal a strong interplay among magnetization, polarization, and layer degree of freedom, establishing a stacking-engineering mechanism for multiferroic modulations, further offering innovative insights into realizing magnetoelectric coupling effects and multi-state control paradigm in type-I multiferroic systems.
{"title":"Stacking-engineering magnetoelectric coupling effects in van der Waals type-I multiferroics","authors":"Xuanyi Li, Zefang Li, Jing Xu, Jun Luo","doi":"10.1063/5.0307981","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0307981","url":null,"abstract":"Multiferroic materials have attracted significant attention for their potential applications in multifunctional spintronic devices. However, conventional multiferroics exhibit limited magnetoelectric coupling, as the magnetic and ferroelectric orders typically arise from distinct and incompatible mechanisms. In this study, we introduce a specific theoretical approach to magnetoelectric coupling that capitalizes on the intrinsic tunability of two-dimensional (2D) materials. Taking the prototypical 2D magnet CrI3 as an example, we demonstrate the following issues: (i) the easy magnetization axis of anti-aligned bilayer CrI3 exhibits an inherent inclination, attributed to crystalline symmetry breaking as determined by interlayer shifts; and (ii) spontaneous sliding ferroelectricity emerges, wherein the reversal of polarization signifies a phase transition between energetically preferable states. These findings reveal a strong interplay among magnetization, polarization, and layer degree of freedom, establishing a stacking-engineering mechanism for multiferroic modulations, further offering innovative insights into realizing magnetoelectric coupling effects and multi-state control paradigm in type-I multiferroic systems.","PeriodicalId":8094,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics Letters","volume":"124 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145972316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Achieving large tunneling electroresistance (TER) and multistate data storage is crucial for advancing two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs) toward high-density nonvolatile memories. In this work, we propose a strategy that couples ferroelectric polarization with transport anisotropy to realize multistate data storage in 2D FTJs. As a concrete implementation, we design a van der Waals heterostructure composed of metallic goldene and out-of-plane ferroelectric In2Se3, and construct 2D FTJs based on this heterostructure. Density functional theory combined with nonequilibrium Green's function calculations shows that the interfacial contact in the goldene/In2Se3 heterostructure can be reversibly switched between Schottky and Ohmic types by reversing the ferroelectric polarization, yielding a giant TER ratio of up to 108%. More importantly, the cooperative effect of polarization reversal and transport anisotropy induces four distinct resistance states that can be switched directly without an additional erase step. Our proposal provides a viable pathway for realizing nanoscale 2D FTJs with ultrahigh storage density and simplified multistate memory operation.
{"title":"Giant tunneling electroresistance and multistate data storage in two-dimensional ferroelectric tunnel junctions via polarization–anisotropy coupling","authors":"Guogang Liu, San-Huang Ke","doi":"10.1063/5.0304739","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0304739","url":null,"abstract":"Achieving large tunneling electroresistance (TER) and multistate data storage is crucial for advancing two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs) toward high-density nonvolatile memories. In this work, we propose a strategy that couples ferroelectric polarization with transport anisotropy to realize multistate data storage in 2D FTJs. As a concrete implementation, we design a van der Waals heterostructure composed of metallic goldene and out-of-plane ferroelectric In2Se3, and construct 2D FTJs based on this heterostructure. Density functional theory combined with nonequilibrium Green's function calculations shows that the interfacial contact in the goldene/In2Se3 heterostructure can be reversibly switched between Schottky and Ohmic types by reversing the ferroelectric polarization, yielding a giant TER ratio of up to 108%. More importantly, the cooperative effect of polarization reversal and transport anisotropy induces four distinct resistance states that can be switched directly without an additional erase step. Our proposal provides a viable pathway for realizing nanoscale 2D FTJs with ultrahigh storage density and simplified multistate memory operation.","PeriodicalId":8094,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics Letters","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145972317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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