Temperature dependence of current-induced switching in thin epitaxial films of Mn3Sn: Revealing the dominant role of spin–orbit torque

Abstract

Current-induced switching of non-collinear antiferromagnets, represented by Mn3Sn, has attracted considerable interest due to its potential in advanced electronic devices. While a model based on the spin–orbit torque (SOT) self-consistently explains the switching, Joule heating was found to play an important role in some studies using polycrystalline or thick epitaxial Mn3Sn films by heating the films to or above the Néel temperature. Here, we evaluate the roles of SOT and Joule heating in the current-induced switching of thin epitaxial films of Mn3Sn (15 nm). At temperatures from 140 to 300 K, the switching current is found to be well below the current required to heat the sample to the Néel temperature, indicating that the non-collinear antiferromagnetic order is preserved during the switching. This suggests that the role of Joule heating is less significant in such thin epitaxial films than in the aforementioned studies. Our results provide insight into the dominant role of SOT in the current-induced switching of epitaxial Mn3Sn films with relatively low thicknesses, consistent with SOT-driven switching.