Room temperature skyrmions in Pt/Co/Gd multilayers and their non-volatile electric-field creation in multiferroic heterostructure

Abstract

This study delves into the formation and control of magnetic skyrmions within a Pt/Co/Gd multilayer system. By systematically varying the thickness of the Co layer, we observe the emergence of Néel-type skyrmions, characterized by confined magnetization curls with Lorentz transmission electron microscopy. The interplay between magnetic anisotropy, Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction, and antiferromagnetic coupling at material interfaces is investigated to understand the stability and manipulation of these fascinating spin configurations. Additionally, we explore the impact of an external electric field on skyrmion generation, demonstrating a pathway for their controlled creation. The observed electric-field control of skyrmions offers a promising approach to achieving non-volatile magnetic states with low power consumption and negligible Joule heating. These findings hold great potential for advancing spintronics and magneto-electric devices, enabling modulation of skyrmions for information storage and processing applications.