Topological Magnon Modes in Patterned Ferrimagnetic Insulator Thin Films

Nano Lett. 2018 May 9;18(5):3032-3037. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b00492. Epub 2018 Apr 24.

Abstract

Manipulation of magnons opens an attractive direction in the future energy-efficient information processing devices. Such quasi-particles can transfer and process information free from the troublesome Ohmic loss in conventional electronic devices. Here, we propose to realize topologically protected magnon modes using the interface between the patterned ferrimagnetic insulator thin films of different configurations without the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. The interface thus behaves like a perfect waveguide to conduct the magnon modes lying in the band gap. These modes are immune to backscattering even in sharply bent tracks, robust against the disorders, and maintain a high degree of coherence during propagation. We design a magnonic Mach-Zehnder interferometer, which realizes a continuous change of magnon signal with varying external magnetic field or driving frequency. Our results pave a new way for realizing topologically protected magnon waveguide and finally achieving a scalable low-dissipation spintronic devices and even the magnonic integrated circuit.

Keywords: Mach−Zehnder interferometer; Magnon; interfacial state; topological phase.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't