Switching the chirality of a magnetic vortex deterministically with an electric field

Deterministic switching of a magnetic vortex with an electric field is challenging because electric fields cannot break time-reversal symmetry. Here we demonstrate, using phase-field simulations, a deterministic switching of the vortex chirality in a triangle-shaped nanomagnet by applying an electric field to its underlying ferroelectric layer. The nanomagnet is juxtaposed with an overlying antiferromagnetic layer to acquire an exchange bias from their interface. The simulations show that such deterministic electrically-driven magnetic vortex chirality switching is enabled by a synergistic effect of the electric-field-induced strain from the ferroelectric, the three-fold in-plane shape anisotropy of the nanomagnet, and the exchange-bias field. (Image Presented) IMPACT STATEMENT An electric-field-controlled deterministic switching of magnetic vortex chirality has been computationally demonstrated in a novel magnetoelect.