Magnetoelectric Control of Antiferromagnetic Domain of Cr₂O₃ Thin Film Toward Spintronic Application

Abstract

  Cr₂O₃ is a magnetoelectric antiferromagnet, and its antiferromagnetic domain state is controllable by the simultaneous application of magnetic and electric fields. In the 2000s, that is, more than 50 years since the discovery of the magnetoelectirc effect in Cr₂O₃, efforts were initiated apply this effect to engineering applications. In this article, we review the recent progress of the magnetoelectric control of the antiferromagnetic domain state and the related phenomena of Cr₂O₃, in particular, in an all-thin film system, an essential step to the application.