Article Evidence for single variant in altermagnetic RuO2(101) thin films

Cong He ORCID ; Zhenchao Wen SAMURAI ORCID ; Jun Okabayashi ORCID ; Yoshio Miura SAMURAI ORCID ; Tianyi Ma ORCID ; Tadakatsu Ohkubo SAMURAI ORCID ; Takeshi Seki ORCID ; Hiroaki Sukegawa SAMURAI ORCID ; Seiji Mitani SAMURAI ORCID

He et al. - 2025 - Evidence for single variant in altermagnetic RuO2(101) thin films.pdf
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Cong He, Zhenchao Wen, Jun Okabayashi, Yoshio Miura, Tianyi Ma, Tadakatsu Ohkubo, Takeshi Seki, Hiroaki Sukegawa, Seiji Mitani. Evidence for single variant in altermagnetic RuO2(101) thin films. Nature Communications. 2025, 16 (1), 8235. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63344-y

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(abstract)

Altermagnetism presents intriguing possibilities for spintronic devices due to its unique combination of strong spin-splitting and zero net magnetization. However, realizing its full potential hinges on fabricating single-variant altermagnetic thin films. In this work, we present definitive evidence for the formation of single-variant altermagnetic RuO2(101) thin films with fully epitaxial growth on Al2O3(1"1" ̅02) r-plane substrates, confirmed through rigorous structural analyses using X-ray diffraction, atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray magnetic linear dichroism (XMLD). The mutual correspondence of the occupancy of oxygen atoms on the surfaces of RuO2(101)[010] and Al2O3(1"1" ̅02)[11"2" ̅0] plays a decisive role in the formation of the single-variant RuO2, which is also supported by our first-principles density functional theory calculations. We further observed spin-splitting magnetoresistance in the single-variant RuO2(101)/CoFeB bilayers, highlighting the characteristic effect of single variant on spin transport. The demonstration of single-variant RuO2(101) films marks a significant advancement in the field of alternating magnetism and paves the way for exploring their potential applications.

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Keyword: Altermagnet, RuO2, XMLD, Spin splitting magnetoresistance, Single variant

Date published: 2025-09-24

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Journal:

  • Nature Communications (ISSN: 20411723) vol. 16 issue. 1 8235

Funding:

  • MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science 20H00299
  • MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science 21H01750
  • MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science 24H00408
  • MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science 22H04966

Manuscript type: Publisher's version (Version of record)

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First published URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63344-y

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Updated at: 2025-09-26 12:30:17 +0900

Published on MDR: 2025-09-26 12:19:02 +0900

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