Observation of Topological Spin Textures in Ferrimagnetic Mn<sub>2 − <i>x</i></sub>Zn<sub><i>x</i></sub>Sb
Ferrimagnets, which have both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic coupling, are attracting increased attention in the realm of spintronic devices due to advantages such as ultrafast dynamics and a suppressed skyrmion Hall effect. Thus, understanding the behavior of nontrivial spin textures in ferrimagnets is crucial; however, comprehensive reports on this topic remain limited. Here, the magnetic spin textures of ferrimagnetic Mn<sub>2 - x</sub>Zn<sub>x</sub>Sb (x = 0.85) is explored as a function of temperature and applied magnetic field. The spin textures can be tuned to a variety of states, including stripes, skyrmion bags, and a skyrmion lattice. Chiral Néel-type magnetic structures are visualized using Lorentz transmission electron microscopy. Mn(I) ions are slightly shifted toward the Sb sites, which may be due to a strong electrostatic interaction between Mn and Sb ions. This local structural distortion breaks the inversion symmetry and introduces an effective Dzyaloshinkii-Moriya interaction. This work thus provides a pathway to use doping and heterogeneity in a ferrimagnet to control and generate chiral nontrivial spin textures.
Authors
- Stephan Rosenkranz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5659-0383)
- Charudatta Phatak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8931-0296)
- Hu Jin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8657-5686)
- Yuzi Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8733-1683)
- Yue Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9171-0355)
- A. K. Petford‐Long (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3154-8090)
- Md Rafique Un Nabi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5942-7901)
- S. G. E. te Velthuis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1023-8384)
- Hyowon Park (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4693-2415)
Institutions
- Northwestern University (US)
- Argonne National Laboratory (US)
- University of Illinois Chicago (US)
- University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Small
- Published
- 2025-03-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202406299
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Magnetic properties of thin films
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.49
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Office of Science
- Argonne National Laboratory