# Fileset

[s41467-025-56157-6.pdf](https://mdr.nims.go.jp/filesets/cb397dc0-593e-48d7-bfea-24d58e7b9b69/download)

## Creator

Ju-Young Yoon, [Yutaro Takeuchi](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5031-1347), Ryota Takechi, Jiahao Han, Tomohiro Uchimura, Yuta Yamane, Shun Kanai, Jun’ichi Ieda, Hideo Ohno, Shunsuke Fukami

## Rights

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License,
which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and
reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate
credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the
Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed
material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted
material derived fromthis article or parts of it. The images or other third
party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative
Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the
material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons
licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or
exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly
from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.[Creative Commons BY-NC-ND Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

## Other metadata

[Electrical mutual switching in a noncollinear-antiferromagnetic–ferromagnetic heterostructure](https://mdr.nims.go.jp/datasets/380a75df-9c99-49a9-a8fb-8e48be51109d)

## Fulltext

Electrical mutual switching in a noncollinear-antiferromagnetic–ferromagnetic heterostructureArticle https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56157-6Electricalmutual switching in a noncollinear-antiferromagnetic–ferromagneticheterostructureJu-Young Yoon 1,2, Yutaro Takeuchi 1,3,4, Ryota Takechi1,2, Jiahao Han 1,5 ,Tomohiro Uchimura 1,2, Yuta Yamane 1,6, Shun Kanai1,2,4,5,7,8,9,Jun’ichi Ieda 10, Hideo Ohno 1,2,5,8,11 & Shunsuke Fukami 1,2,5,8,11,12Spin-orbit torque (SOT) provides a promising mechanism for electricallyencoding information in magnetic states. Unlike existing schemes, where theSOT is passively determined by the material and device structures, an activemanipulation of the intrinsic SOT polarity would allow for flexibly program-mable SOT devices. Achieving this requires electrical control of the current-induced spin polarization of the spin source. Here we demonstrate a proof-of-concept current-programmed SOT device. Using a noncollinear-anti-ferromagnetic/nonmagnetic/ferromagnetic Mn3Sn/Mo/CoFeB hetero-structure at zero magnetic field, we show current-induced switching in theCoFeB layer due to the spin current polarized by themagnetic structure of theMn3Sn; by properly tuning the driving current, the spin current from theCoFeB further reverses the magnetic orientation of the Mn3Sn, which deter-mines the polarity of the subsequent switching of the CoFeB. This scheme ofmutual switching can be achieved in a spin-valve-like simple protocol becauseeach magnetic layer serves as a reversible spin source and target magneticelectrode. It yields intriguing proof-of-concept functionalities for unconven-tional logic and neuromorphic computing.The electrical control of magnetic states is the foundation of magneticmemory, logic, and computing. The spin-orbit torque (SOT), arisingfrom the spin current produced by an electric current via spin-orbitinteractions, offers an efficient approach for controlling the magneticstates1–5. In the conventional scenario that has been used in integrated-circuit demonstrations of non-volatile memory6, the scheme of SOTswitching is fixed by the material and device structures5. Moving for-ward, an effective manipulation over the polarity of SOT switching(clockwise or counter-clockwise under a fixed direction of electriccurrent) can stimulate rich opportunities for information processingbeyond the binary data storage. In the existing studies, such a taskrequires external control panels, such as preset7–9 or persistent mag-netic fields10,11 and strains frompiezoelectric substrates12–15. These non-electric-current components bring additional complexity to theimplementation of SOT devices. Given that the basic elements of SOTare just a magnetic heterostructure and an electric current5, it shouldReceived: 30 November 2023Accepted: 10 January 2025Check for updates1Laboratory for Nanoelectronics and Spintronics, Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. 2Graduate School ofEngineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. 3International Center for Young Scientists, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan. 4PRESTO,Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Japan. 5Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. 6Frontier ResearchInstitute for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. 7Division for the Establishment of Frontier Sciences of Organization for AdvancedStudies at Tohoku University, TohokuUniversity, Sendai, Japan. 8Center for Science and Innovation inSpintronics, TohokuUniversity, Sendai, Japan. 9NationalInstitute for Quantum Science and Technology, Takasaki, Japan. 10Advanced Science Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai, Japan. 11Centerfor Innovative Integrated Electronic Systems, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. 12Inamori Research Institute for Science, Kyoto, Japan.e-mail: jiahao.han.c8@tohoku.ac.jp; s-fukami@riec.tohoku.ac.jpNature Communications |         (2025) 16:1171 11234567890():,;1234567890():,;http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7447-3466http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7447-3466http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7447-3466http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7447-3466http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7447-3466http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5031-1347http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5031-1347http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5031-1347http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5031-1347http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5031-1347http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3275-7687http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3275-7687http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3275-7687http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3275-7687http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3275-7687http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8992-7782http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8992-7782http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8992-7782http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8992-7782http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8992-7782http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3306-2967http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3306-2967http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3306-2967http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3306-2967http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3306-2967http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6069-8533http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6069-8533http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6069-8533http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6069-8533http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6069-8533http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9688-8259http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9688-8259http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9688-8259http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9688-8259http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9688-8259http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5750-2990http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5750-2990http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5750-2990http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5750-2990http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5750-2990http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1038/s41467-025-56157-6&domain=pdfhttp://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1038/s41467-025-56157-6&domain=pdfhttp://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1038/s41467-025-56157-6&domain=pdfhttp://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1038/s41467-025-56157-6&domain=pdfmailto:jiahao.han.c8@tohoku.ac.jpmailto:s-fukami@riec.tohoku.ac.jpwww.nature.com/naturecommunicationsin principle be possible to reverse the intrinsic SOT polarity by onlyprogramming the electric current in a simple protocol without theassistance ofmagnetic fields. This goal is of fundamental and practicalsignificance because it represents a thorough exploitation of theinteractions between the internal magnetic and electronic structures,which will enable new schemes of SOT switching and flexibly pro-grammable devices that advance the current logic and computingtechnologies.To achieve electric current control of the intrinsic SOT polarity, aspin source owning tunable signs of the charge-spin conversion isnecessary. A potential solution arises from the magnetic spin Halleffect16 (MSHE) and the resultantmagnetic spinHall torque17–19 (MSHT)in noncollinear antiferromagnets (NCAFMs) with chiral-spinstructures20–22. D019-Mn3Sn (Fig. 1a) is a representative NCAFM exhi-biting theMSHE, that is, the current-induced non-equilibrium spins arereversible upon flipping the chiral-spin structure of Mn3Sn (ref. 16).The MSHE makes the field-free switching of perpendicular magneti-zation possible due to the out-of-plane polarization of the non-equilibrium spins16–19,23,24. Nevertheless, there remains amajor obstacletowards the electric-current control of the MSHE, because themechanism to achieve field-free switching of themagnetic spin sourceis still missing.In this work, we demonstrate electricalmutual switching betweenthe NCAFM Mn3Sn and a ferromagnet (FM) CoFeB, that is, each mag-netic layerworks asboth a reversible spin source and a targetmagneticelectrode. To be specific, CoFeB with a perpendicular magnetic easyaxis undergoes field-free switching induced by theMSHT fromMn3Sn,whileMn3Snwith in-planemagnetic anisotropy can be switched by thespin current from CoFeB, also without external magnetic fields(Fig. 1b). The switching conditions of CoFeB and Mn3Sn are separatedin different regimes of electric current. In contrast to previous studiesthat rely on external tuning knobs beyond a magnetic heterostructureand a current7–15, our mutual switching exclusively implements theinterplay between the spin current and the magnetic structures of theFM and the NCAFM, thus leading to a switching protocol as succinct asa spin valve25. We further demonstrate a function of electrical turningon/off for the switching process and polarity-programmable memris-tive behaviors that arise from themultistep switching of Mn3Sn. Thesefunctionalities open up new opportunities that cannot be achieved byconventional SOT switching7–15,18,23,26,27 for logic and neuromorphiccomputing.Results and discussionBasic structural, transport, and magnetic propertiesFigure 1b illustrates a noncollinear-antiferromagnetic/nonmagnetic/fer-romagnetic Mn3Sn/Mo/CoFeB heterostructure and the mechanismof the electrical mutual switching between Mn3Sn and CoFeB. Weprepare Ru(2nm)/Mn3Sn(17 nm)/Mo(tMo)/CoFeB(1 nm)/MgO(1.3 nm)/TaOx(1 nm) stacks on MgO(111) substrates (see Methods), where CoFeBhas a perpendicularmagnetic easy axis28 andMn3Sn shows a magneticeasy plane lying in the film plane29. A Mo layer with a thickness of tMois inserted between Mn3Sn and CoFeB for magnetic separation. The(0001) orientation of Mn3Sn is chosen to produce z-componentspins16,17 for the field-free switching of CoFeB. We measure the X-raydiffraction to characterize the crystal structure of Mn3Sn. Only the(0002) and (0004) peaks of Mn3Sn are observed in the 2θ-θ scan(Fig. 1c), indicating that the (0001) kagome plane is formed in thefilm plane. Moreover, the 60°-periodic Mn3Snð20�21Þ peaks in the φscan (Supplementary Fig. 1) confirm the fully epitaxial growth withthe relationship of MgO 111ð Þ 1�10� � kMn3Snð0001Þ½11�20�. We note thatMn3Sn has a chiral-spin structure with a weak net magnetization dueto the distorted magnetic moments of the Mn atoms from a perfectFig. 1 | Structural, transport, and magnetic properties. a Atomic and chiral-spinstructures in a kagome plane of the NCAFMD019-Mn3Sn. The blurred color denotesthe atoms and magnetic moments in the neighboring kagome plane. b Schematicof the electrical mutual switching in Mn3Sn/Mo/CoFeB. Red, blue, and gray arrowsdenote themagnetic orientations ofMn3Sn, CoFeB, and non-equilibrium spins withz-component, respectively. NM: nonmagnetic material. c Out-of-plane X-ray dif-fraction result in a Ru(2 nm)/Mn3Sn(30 nm)/MgO(1.3 nm)/Ru(1 nm) stack. A largethickness ofMn3Sn is used here in order to obtain clear signal. dOptical image of aHall bar device, which is connected to a current source and a voltmeter for trans-portmeasurements. eRH � Hz loops ofMn3Sn/Mo/CoFeB/MgO(black) andMn3Sn/Mo/MgO (red). The inset shows the zoomed-in region around the switching ofCoFeB. f Magnetization M as a function of the in-plane magnetic field μ0Hx in thesame stack of (c).Article https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56157-6Nature Communications |         (2025) 16:1171 2www.nature.com/naturecommunicationstriangle. The magnetic orientation of the chiral-spin structure can berepresented by the magnetization vector (similarly, the octupolemoment) and is controllable by magnetic fields20.The films are patterned to Hall bar devices (Fig. 1d) with which themagnetic states of CoFeB can be detected via the anomalous Halleffect (AHE)30. Meanwhile, because the AHE in Mn3Sn appears in thetransverse direction to the Berry curvature that arises in the kagomeplane, the AHE voltage is not observable for the (0001)-orientedMn3Sn thin films20. Figure 1e shows theHall resistance RH under an out-of-plane magnetic field Hz. A sharp hysteresis loop with ~100% rema-nence is observed in Mn3Sn/Mo/CoFeB/MgO, whereas a control sam-ple of Mn3Sn/Mo/MgO shows a linear background from the ordinaryHall effect. This comparison confirms that the jumpof RH correspondsto the switching of the perpendicularlymagnetized CoFeBwithout anyexchange couplingwithMn3Sn layer (also see Supplementary Fig. 2 forthe M � Hx loop of Mn3Sn/Mo/CoFeB/MgO). The reversal field ofCoFeB is less than 10 mT.The magnetic property of Mn3Sn is characterized by the in-planemagnetic hysteresis loop in Fig. 1f. The remanence at zero field is ~20%of the saturation magnetization, which is consistent with previousstudies on (0001)-oriented Mn3Sn thin films18,31,32 and suggests themulti-domain structure of our Mn3Sn layer at zero magnetic field.Polarity-reversible field-free switching of CoFeB by the MSHTfrom Mn3SnThe prerequisite of electrical mutual switching is to verify a reversibleswitching polarity of CoFeB by the MSHT fromMn3Sn. In this section,we use a magnetic field to control the magnetic orientation (repre-sented by the netmagnetization vector) of the spin sourceMn3Sn. Themeasurement sequence is shown in Fig. 2a. We first initialize Mn3Snwith μ0HinitAFM = ± 1 T and then withdraw the field. Due to the multipleequivalent easyaxeswithin the (0001) kagomeplane33,Mn3Sn acquiresa multi-domain state that maintains an overall preference of themagnetic orientation along the initialization field34. Next, CoFeB isaligned by μ0HinitFM =0, ± 40 mT, followed by withdrawing the field.Subsequently, 100-ms pulse current is applied along the x directionwith an in-plane magnetic field μ0Hmeasx = � 10 � + 10 mT to performthe current-induced switching.Here we focus on the results at μ0Hmeasx =0. Figure 2b, c show theRH � I loops of CoFeB switching (critical current density of� 9 MAcm�2) after Mn3Sn is initialized in the opposite directions ±x.The field-free switching cannot be achieved by the weak spin Halleffect of Mo (Supplementary Fig. 3, also see refs. 35,36), but is con-sistent with the anti-damping MSHT switching via the z-componentspins of Mn3Sn. Remarkably, the switching polarity is reversed byflipping the magnetic orientation of Mn3Sn (also see SupplementaryFig. 4a), in sharp contrast to the existing studies in which the field-freeswitching polarity is immune to the magnetic influence on theNCAFM18,37. We thus verify that the MSHE (that is, the ±z spin polar-ization is determined by the magnetic orientation of Mn3Sn along ±x)plays a critical role in the observed current-induced switching19. This isfurther supportedby the absenceoffield-free switchingwhenMn3Sn isinitialized along ±y (Fig. 2d, e), in agreement with a spin-torque fer-romagnetic resonance study in Mn3Sn(0001)/NiFe bilayers17 and the-oretical calculations16,18. These results verify that Mn3Sn can serve as areversible magnetic spin source to induce polarity-controllable field-free switching of CoFeB via the MSHT.As an additional note, while Mn3Sn obtains a net magneticorientation from μ0HinitAFM, it has a multi-domain structure afterwithdrawing the field. Taking the configuration of Fig. 2b as anexample, under a positive current, the Mn3Sn domains with +xcomponents provide the spins whose polarization is suitable toswitch CoFeB from down to up, while other domains with –x com-ponents provide opposite spins that do not support such switching.As a whole, we obtain a partially compensated MSHT and a reducedswitching ratio of CoFeB containing unswitched domains (alsosee Supplementary Information). We also note that the intralayerspin-transfer torque in CoFeB, with the possibility of inducingFig. 2 | Switching of CoFeB by the MSHT of Mn3Sn. a Sequence of the switchingmeasurements. HinitAFM, HinitFM, and Hmeasx are the AFM initialization field, FM initi-alization field, and the field applied during the measurement, respectively. 100-mspulse current is applied to induce the switching. Field-free switching of CoFeB. Themagnetic spin source Mn3Sn is initialized by a magnetic field of 1 T along (b) +x, (c)–x, (d) +y, and (e) –y directions, respectively. Open (closed) symbols indicate thedata plots during the forward (backward) scan. The error bars indicate the standarddeviation errors in three continuous rounds of measurements.Article https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56157-6Nature Communications |         (2025) 16:1171 3www.nature.com/naturecommunicationsdomain wall motion, cannot explain our experimental results inFig. 2b–e, which, otherwise, should not depend on the initializationalong ±x and ±y. To be seen in the next section, similar argumentsapply to exclude the spin-transfer torque within Mn3Sn according toFig. 3b, c. Moreover, the larger bias current in Fig. 3a should not beattributed to the critical current for the spin-transfer torque-induceddomain wall motion, because a smaller current in the oppositedirection also triggers the switching of CoFeB.Electrical control of the MSHT polarity from the magnetic spinsource Mn3SnThe subsequent step towards the electrical mutual switching is to useelectric current, instead of magnetic field, to set the magnetic orien-tation of Mn3Sn. We find that it can be achieved in the same deviceusing the polarized spin current flowing from CoFeB to Mn3Sn, wherethe critical treatment is just to apply a larger current as a bias at thebeginning. Figure 3a, b show the RH � I loops, where the electric cur-rent is applied in the range of −12mA≤I≤ +8mAand −8mA ≤I≤ +12mA,respectively, in the absence of magnetic field. We call the former(latter) an I−(I+)-biased loop. Notably, opposite polarities of the MSHT-induced CoFeB switching are obtained only by changing the biascurrent direction. Given that the switching polarity is determined bythe magnetic orientation of the spin source Mn3Sn (verified by themeasurements with a symmetric current range of −8 mA ≤I≤ +8 mA inFig. 2b, c), the observed phenomena indicate thatMn3Sn is switched inthe large current regime of |I| >8 mA (also see Supplementary Fig. 4b).To elucidate the field-free switching of Mn3Sn, we first figure outthe role of the CoFeB layer. Figure 3b, c show the polarity dependenceof the CoFeB switching on the CoFeB initialization along –z and +z,respectively (indicated by the sign of RH). We can see that the oppositeswitching polarities are correlated to the different initialization direc-tions of CoFeB (Supplementary Fig. 4b). Given that the switching−15 −10 −5 0 5 10 15−0.14−0.12I- = -12 mA I+ = +8 mARH (�)I (mA)|I-| > |I+|start�RH(Ibias- ) < 0 �RH(Ibias+ ) > 0�0HinitAFM = +1 T�0HinitFM = -40 mT�0Hmeasx  = 0 mTI range�0HinitAFM = +1 T�0Hmeasx  = 0 mT|I-| < |I+|�0HinitFM (mT)-40+40−15 −10 −5 0 5 10 15−0.14−0.12I- = -8 mA I+ = +12 mAI (mA)|I-| < |I+|start−15 −10 −5 0 5 10 150.100.13I (mA)I+ = +12 mAI- = -8 mAstart0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0012345� (%)tMo (nm)�0HinitAFM = +1 T�0HinitFM = -40 mT�0Hmeasx  = 0 mT−10 0 10−6−4−20246Switching ratio (%)�0Hmeasx  (mT) I+-biased loop I--biased loop−6−4−20246� (%)a b cfed−10 0 10-12 +8RH (m�)I (mA)20−10 0 10-8 +12I (mA)�0Hmeasx+10 mT+8 mT+6 mT+4 mT+2 mT0 mT-2 mT-4 mT-6 mT-8 mT-10 mT∆RH(+)(-)gSpin injection+ Oersted fieldISpin injection: Oersted field:Initial FinalhOeFig. 3 | Electric control of the MSHT via switching Mn3Sn. a–c RH � I measure-ments performed in various conditions. Shared conditions of neighboring figuresare shown in a legend between the figures. Current range dependence of RH, wherethe absolute value of the maximum current at positive side, I+ is smaller (larger)than that of the minimum current at negative side, I- in (a, b). CoFeB initializationdependence of RH, where CoFeB is initialized along –z (+z) in (b, c). d In-planemagnetic field μ0Hmeasx dependence of I�-biased (left) and I + -biased (right) loops.μ0Hmeasx varies from −10 to +10mT with a step of 2mT. The switching magnitudeΔRH is qualitatively described by a scaling arrow with a colored gradient.e Switching ratio of the loops shown in (d) and the difference δ between I�-biasedand I + -biased loops. f tMo dependence of δ at zeromagnetic field. The error bars in(e, f) indicate the standard deviation errors in five continuous rounds of mea-surements. g Key factors of the Mn3Sn switching, where HOey is an Oersted fieldalong y direction. h Schematic for the switching process of Mn3Sn. Red arrowsindicate the net magnetization representing the overall magnetic order of Mn3Sn.Orange arrows denote the effective rotation direction of the net magnetization ofMn3Sn under spin injection. Green arrows denote the rotation of the net magne-tization of Mn3Sn driven by the Oersted field.Article https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56157-6Nature Communications |         (2025) 16:1171 4www.nature.com/naturecommunicationspolarity is determined by the magnetic orientation of Mn3Sn, thisresult indicates that CoFeB,while playing a traditional role as the targetmagnetic electrode being switched, also works as a magnetic spinsource to switchMn3Sn. As a consequence, the intrinsic SOTpolarity ofthe CoFeB switching fromMn3Sn becomes programmable by current.Thermal effects such as demagnetization and magnetoelastic effectcannot explain the dependence of CoFeB on the bias current or CoFeBinitialization (see Supplementary Information).We then investigate the influence of in-plane magnetic fields onthe Mn3Sn switching. Figure 3d shows theHmeasx dependence of RH � Iloops in I−-biased (left) and I+-biased (right) regimes. Figure 3e sum-marizes the switching ratio defined as ΔRH Ibias+ ð�Þ� �=R0H, whereΔRH Ibias+ ð�Þ� �and R0H are the magnitudes of CoFeB switching in theI + (I�)-biased loop (dashed arrows in Fig. 3a, b) and the RH � Hz loop(Fig. 1e), respectively. The switching ratio varies from −1% to +4% forI + -biased loop and −4% to +1% for I�-biased loop with a constant dif-ference δ of ~3%. δ by definition represents the portion of Mn3Sndomains that are oriented by the bias current rather than Hmeasx . Themonotonic variation of the switching ratio can be attributed to theMn3Sn domains that are gradually oriented as the external magneticfield Hmeasx increases, which is illustrated in Supplementary Fig. 5. Onthe other hand, the switching ratio is suppressed by the constantmagnetic field along y (Hmeasy ), as the y-orientedMn3Sn domains do notfacilitate theMSHT switching17. Figure 3f shows tMo dependence of δ atzero magnetic field, which increases with tMo in the region of0:6 nm ≤ tMo ≤ 1:4 nm and decreases back at tMo = 2 nm. This resultimplies that Mn3Sn can be manipulated only when tMo is larger than athreshold (0.6 nm), and the effect decreases after a certain valueof tMo.Here we propose a possible mechanism of Mn3Sn switching toconsistently explain the observations above. Previous studies showedthat both spin injection and external magnetic field are indispensablefor the current-induced switching in Mn3Sn/heavy metal bilayers38–44.In our case, the switching of Mn3Sn can be attributed to the combinedeffect of the sign-fixed z-oriented spins polarized by the perpendicu-larlymagnetized CoFeB and the sign-flippable y-oriented Oersted fieldfrom the electric current (Fig. 3g, h, also see Supplementary Informa-tion). The z-oriented spins in Fig. 3g are polarized by the perpendicularmagnetization of CoFeB, similar to the spin transfer in current-in-planespin valves25. These spins do not flip sign when the current is reversed.As a result, the switching mechanism in Fig. 3h (demonstrated in ref.44) can work in our system if Mn3Sn contains certain domains with aneasy axis along x (refs. 41,44), which is possible under current-inducedeffects45. Moreover, the magnitudes of the Oersted field and theinjected z-oriented spins scale in the opposite way as tMo increases(Supplementary Fig. 6), which can explain the observed non-monotonic tMo dependence of δ in Fig. 3f. We notice the differentswitching behaviors in the tMo =0:6 nm sample compared to those oftMo ≥ 1:2 nm samples in terms of no field-free switching and theopposite switching polarities, which can be interpreted by the ran-domly oriented Mn3Sn domains due to the chiral-spin rotation39 thatappears in the samples with a very thin Mo layer (also see Supple-mentary Figs. 6b and 7). We have also examined other scenarios byconsidering the stray field from CoFeB and the non-equilibrium spinsfrom various mechanisms in CoFeB (ref. 25) andMo (refs. 35,36) bulksas well as at the Mo/CoFeB interface25,46. However, as detailed in Sup-plementary Table 1, all the other scenarios cannot describe theobserved Mn3Sn switching.Full sequence of the electrical mutual switchingAfter studying the field-free switching of CoFeB and of Mn3Sn sepa-rately, we provide in Fig. 4a a full sequence of the electrical mutualswitching in a wider current range of �12 mA≤ I ≤ + 12 mA. Theunchanged sign of RH during the current scan indicates the existenceof unswitched CoFeB domains, which is essential for the repeatablemutual switching (otherwise, demagnetization of bothmagnetic layerswill occur in the large current regime). Figure 4b sketches a self-consistent qualitativemodel of the critical steps in Fig. 4a. Steps (A) to(E) ((F) to (J)) show the forward (backward) process with the electric−15 −10 −5 0 5 10 15−0.13−0.12−0.11−0.10RH (�)I (mA)ABC DEICoFeBCIMn3SnCstartFJGHIa bCurrentStartA B C D ECCoFeBCMn3SnOeOeJ I H G FSwitched CoFeBUnswitched CoFeBSwitched Mn3SnUnswitched Mn3SnFig. 4 | Full sequence of the electrical mutual switching in Mn3Sn/Mo/CoFeB.a Full RH � I loop measured in the range of �12 mA≤ I ≤ + 12 mA without externalmagnetic fields. ICoFeBðMn3SnÞC denotes the critical current for switching CoFeB(Mn3Sn). Mn3Sn and CoFeB are initialized along +x and –z directions by magneticfields, respectively. b Schematics for the electrical mutual switching betweenCoFeB and Mn3Sn. Panels (A–J) correspond to the states labeled in (a). Red (blue)and green (purple) dashed rectangles indicate the switched (unswitched) CoFeBdomains and the switched (unswitched) Mn3Sn domains, respectively. The blue-boxed unswitched CoFeB domains exist on top of the multi-domain structure ofMn3Sn. Dashed arrows indicate the spin flow pointing from its origin to the target.Yellow curved arrows illustrate the torque acting on the target magnetic moments.Article https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56157-6Nature Communications |         (2025) 16:1171 5www.nature.com/naturecommunicationscurrent increasing (decreasing) from −12mA to +12mA (+12mA to−12mA) (A) Magnetic states are set by I = � 12 mA, where CoFeB isdominated by –z-oriented domains and the net magnetic orientationof Mn3Sn is switched to –x. (B) Certain CoFeB domains, marked by thereddashed rectangles in Fig. 4b, start to be switchedby theMSHT fromMn3Sn. (C) Beyond the critical current ICoFeBC , CoFeB has already beenswitched and the reversible Mn3Sn domain in the green dashed rec-tangle starts to undergo the mechanism in Fig. 3g due to CoFeBdominantly oriented along –z. (D, E) Beyond another larger criticalcurrent IMn3SnC , Mn3Sn is switched, so that the net MSHT from Mn3Snreverses its polarity and further switches CoFeB. The backward stepsof (F) to (J) can be understood in a similar way. Since the magneticdomains are randomly dispersed in Mn3Sn and CoFeB, the ensembleeffect throughout the film is a reduced magnitude of CoFeB switching(see Supplementary Information). We note that this multi-domainmodel, supported by magnetic measurements (Fig. 1f and Supple-mentary Fig. 8), provides a reasonable explanation ofour experimentalresults. Further increasing the switching ratio can be potentiallyachieved by enhancing the x-axis uniaxial anisotropy of Mn3Sn orreducing the switching barrier of CoFeB.Proof-of-concept device functionalitiesThe electrical mutual switching triggers intriguing functionalities inlogic and computing. First, it enables selective turning on and off forthe switching process by current. The Mn3Sn domains contributing tothe CoFeB switching can be controlled by the electric current and themagnetic field independently as represented in Fig. 3e. Therefore, bytuning the in-plane magnetic field μ0Hmeasx (e.g., ±6mT in Fig. 3d) toenlarge or reduce the Mn3Sn domains in a typical orientation, theswitching process can be precisely turned on and off. Such a con-trollable switching process (output) by reversing the sign of the inputcurrent can be used to design SOT-based logic devices (Fig. 5a (i)).Another unique application of our electricalmutual switching lies inthe neuromorphic computing built on memristive behaviors, where theamount of past electric charge is memorized in its magnetic states5,7.Such behaviors are manifested by the multistep magnetic switching inour device. As plotted in Fig. 5b, the switchingmagnitude is determinedin an analogue way by the magnitude of the applied current. This mul-tistep switching is caused by the nucleation and expansion of Mn3Sndomains dispersed in the film (a common phenomenon in the switchingof antiferromagnets34,47,48), which determines the switching of CoFeB viathe MSHT (Supplementary Fig. 9). Strikingly, our mutual switchingallows one to electrically reverse the polarity of the memristive transi-tion (output) by the bias current direction (input) (Fig. 3a, b, also illu-strated in Fig. 5a (ii)). It provides an extra tuning knob for the buildblocks of neuromorphic computing, in contrast to the existing schemeswhose polarity cannot be electrically programmed7,49.In summary, we show a proof-of-concept current-inducedmutual switching between a NCAFM and a FM, using a spin-valve-like simple protocol consisting of Mn3Sn/Mo/CoFeB. The spin cur-rent to switch one magnetic layer arises from the interactionsbetween the intrinsic magnetic structure and the electric current inthe other magnetic layer, which is the key to the mutual switching.Particularly, it allows us to control the polarity of the CoFeBswitching by electrically flipping the magnetic orientation of Mn3Sn.This distinct switching scheme gives rise to electrically program-mable logic and computing functions, paving a way towards inno-vative spintronic devices.MethodsSample preparationStacks of Ru(2 nm)/Mn3Sn(30 nm)/MgO(1.3 nm)/Ru(1 nm) weredeposited by DC/RF magnetron sputtering on MgO(111) single crystalsubstrates. Ru and Mn3Sn were deposited at 450 °C and MgO wasdeposited at room temperature. The deposition was implementedunder the base pressure of less than 1 × 10−6 Pa. Subsequently, sampleswere annealed at 500 °C for 1 h in vacuum. After annealing, cappinglayers of MgO/Ru and a part of Mn3Sn layer were etched by bias-sputtering, with 17 nm thick Mn3Sn left, followed by depositingMo(tMo)/CoFeB(1 nm)/MgO(1.3 nm)/TaOx(1 nm) at room temperature.TheMo thickness tMo varied as 0.6, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, and 2.0 nm. To obtain aperpendicular magnetic easy axis of CoFeB, the stacks were annealedat 300 °C for 1 h in vacuum.The stackswere fabricated intoHall bars byphotolithography with channel width and length being 3 and 20μm,respectively. Finally, contact pads consisting of Cr(5 nm)/Au(100nm)were fabricated by standard photolithography and lift-off procedures.X-ray diffractionA Cu-Kα1 X-ray with a wavelength of 1.54056Å was used in our X-raydiffraction measurements on a Bruker X-ray diffractometer.Transport measurementsTransport measurements were performed on Hall bar devices via thefour-probe method shown in Fig. 1d. All the transport measurementsexcept the tMo dependence used a stack consisting of MgO(111) sub-strate/Ru(2nm)/Mn3Sn(17 nm)/Mo(1.4 nm)/CoFeB(1 nm)/MgO(1.3nm)/TaOx(1 nm). In the switchingmeasurements, current pulses with aduration of 100mswere applied to induce the switching, followed by aconstant current of 0.5mA to measure the Hall voltage.Data availabilityAll data supporting the findings of this study are included within themain text or Supplementary Information and are also available fromthe corresponding authors upon reasonable request.a0 5 10RH (m)I (mA)I- (mA) -15 -13 -11 -9 -75bInput+12 mAor-8 mAOutputOnly 01 or 0Device+6 mT(i)(ii)FMNMNCAFMFMNMNCAFM+12 mA-12 mAFig. 5 | Proof-of-concept device functionalities. a Illustration of the functionalities of electrically programmable logic (i) andmemristive switching (ii).bRH � I loopswithvarious I� and fixed I + of +8mA in the absence of external magnetic fields.Article https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56157-6Nature Communications |         (2025) 16:1171 6www.nature.com/naturecommunicationsReferences1. Miron, I. M. et al. Perpendicular switching of a single ferromagneticlayer induced by in-plane current injection. Nature 476, 189–193(2011).2. Liu, L. et al. Spin-torque switching with the giant spin Hall effect oftantalum. Science 336, 555–558 (2012).3. Fukami, S., Anekawa, T., Zhang, C. & Ohno, H. A spin–orbit torqueswitching scheme with collinear magnetic easy axis and currentconfiguration. Nat. Nanotechnol. 11, 621–625 (2016).4. Manchon, A. et al. Current-induced spin-orbit torques in ferro-magnetic and antiferromagnetic systems. Rev. Mod. Phys. 91,035004 (2019).5. Shao,Q. et al. Roadmapof spin–orbit torques. IEEE Trans. Magn. 57,1–39 (2021).6. Natsui, M. et al. Dual-port SOT-MRAM achieving 90-MHz read and60-MHzwrite operations under field-assistance-free condition. IEEEJ. Solid-State Circuits 56, 1116–1128 (2021).7. Fukami, S., Zhang, C., DuttaGupta, S., Kurenkov, A. & Ohno, H.Magnetization switching by spin–orbit torque in anantiferromagnet–ferromagnet bilayer system. Nat. Mater. 15,535–541 (2016).8. Lau, Y.-C., Betto, D., Rode, K., Coey, J. M. D. & Stamenov, P.Spin–orbit torque switching without an external field using inter-layer exchange coupling. Nat. Nanotechnol. 11, 758–762 (2016).9. Baek, S. C. et al. Spin currents and spin–orbit torques in ferro-magnetic trilayers. Nat. Mater. 17, 509–513 (2018).10. Lin, P.-H. et al. Manipulating exchange bias by spin–orbit torque.Nat. Mater. 18, 335–341 (2019).11. Peng, S. et al. Exchange bias switching in an antiferromagnet/fer-romagnet bilayer driven by spin–orbit torque. Nat. Electron. 3,757–764 (2020).12. Cai, K. et al. Electric field control of deterministic current-inducedmagnetization switching in a hybrid ferromagnetic/ferroelectricstructure. Nat. Mater. 16, 712–716 (2017).13. Chen, X. et al. Electric field control of Néel spin–orbit torque in anantiferromagnet. Nat. Mater. 18, 931–935 (2019).14. Yan, H. et al. A piezoelectric, strain-controlled antiferromagneticmemory insensitive to magnetic fields. Nat. Nanotechnol. 14,131–136 (2019).15. Filianina, M. et al. Electric-field control of spin–orbit torques inperpendicularly magnetized W/CoFeB/MgO films. Phys. Rev. Lett.124, 217701 (2020).16. Kimata, M. et al. Magnetic andmagnetic inverse spin Hall effects ina non-collinear antiferromagnet. Nature 565, 627–630 (2019).17. Kondou, K. et al. Giant field-like torque by the out-of-plane mag-netic spin Hall effect in a topological antiferromagnet. Nat. Com-mun. 12, 6491 (2021).18. Hu, S. et al. Efficient perpendicular magnetization switching by amagnetic spin Hall effect in a noncollinear antiferromagnet. Nat.Commun. 13, 4447 (2022).19. Cao, C. et al. Anomalous spin current anisotropy in a noncollinearantiferromagnet. Nat. Commun. 14, 5873 (2023).20. Nakatsuji, S., Kiyohara, N. &Higo, T. Large anomalousHall effect in anon-collinear antiferromagnet at room temperature. Nature 527,212–215 (2015).21. Qin, P. et al. Room-temperature magnetoresistance in an all-antiferromagnetic tunnel junction. Nature 613, 485–489 (2023).22. Chen, X. et al. Octupole-driven magnetoresistance in an anti-ferromagnetic tunnel junction. Nature 613, 490–495 (2023).23. Chen, X. et al. Observation of the antiferromagnetic spinHall effect.Nat. Mater. 20, 800–804 (2021).24. Nan, T. et al. Controlling spin current polarization through non-collinear antiferromagnetism. Nat. Commun. 11, 4671 (2020).25. Fert, A. Nobel Lecture: Origin, development, and future of spin-tronics. Rev. Mod. Phys. 80, 1517–1530 (2008).26. Yu, G. et al. Switching of perpendicularmagnetization by spin–orbittorques in the absence of external magnetic fields. Nat. Nano-technol. 9, 548–554 (2014).27. You, L. et al. Switching of perpendicularly polarized nanomagnetswith spin orbit torque without an external magnetic field by engi-neering a tilted anisotropy. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 112,10310–10315 (2015).28. Ikeda, S. et al. A perpendicular-anisotropy CoFeB–MgO magnetictunnel junction. Nat. Mater. 9, 721–724 (2010).29. Yoon, J. et al. Crystal orientation and anomalous Hall effect ofsputter-deposited non-collinear antiferromagnetic Mn3Sn thinfilms. Appl. Phys. Express 13, 013001 (2019).30. Nagaosa, N., Sinova, J., Onoda, S., MacDonald, A. H. & Ong, N. P.Anomalous Hall effect. Rev. Mod. Phys. 82, 1539–1592 (2010).31. Hazra, B. K. et al. Generation of out-of-plane polarized spin currentby spin swapping. Nat. Commun. 14, 4549 (2023).32. Markou, A. et al. Noncollinear antiferromagnetic Mn3Sn films. Phys.Rev. Mater. 2, 051001 (2018).33. Duan, T. F. et al. Magnetic anisotropy of single-crystalline Mn3Sn intriangular and helix-phase states. Appl. Phys. Lett. 107, 082403(2015).34. Uchimura, T. et al. Observation of domain structure in non-collinearantiferromagnetic Mn3Sn thin films bymagneto-optical Kerr effect.Appl. Phys. Lett. 120, 172405 (2022).35. Sinova, J., Valenzuela, S. O.,Wunderlich, J., Back, C. H. & Jungwirth,T. Spin Hall effects. Rev. Mod. Phys. 87, 1213–1260 (2015).36. Mosendz, O. et al. Quantifying spin Hall angles from spin pumping:experiments and theory. Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 046601 (2010).37. Han, R. K. et al. Field-free magnetization switching in CoPt inducedby noncollinear antiferromagnetic Mn3Ga. Phys. Rev. B 107,134422 (2023).38. Tsai, H. et al. Electrical manipulation of a topological anti-ferromagnetic state. Nature 580, 608–613 (2020).39. Takeuchi, Y. et al. Chiral-spin rotation of non-collinear antiferro-magnet by spin–orbit torque. Nat. Mater. 20, 1364–1370 (2021).40. Yan,G.Q. et al. Quantumsensing and imagingof spin–orbit-torque-driven spin dynamics in the non-collinear antiferromagnet Mn3Sn.Adv. Mater. 34, 2200327 (2022).41. Higo, T. et al. Perpendicular full switching of chiral anti-ferromagnetic order by current. Nature 607, 474–479 (2022).42. Krishnaswamy, G. K. et al. Time-dependent multistate switching oftopological antiferromagnetic order in Mn3Sn. Phys. Rev. Appl. 18,024064 (2022).43. Pal, B. et al. Setting of the magnetic structure of chiral kagomeantiferromagnets by a seeded spin-orbit torque. Sci. Adv. 8,eabo5930 (2022).44. Yoon, J.-Y. et al. Handedness anomaly in a non-collinear antiferro-magnet under spin–orbit torque. Nat. Mater. 22, 1106–1113 (2023).45. Zhang, P., Finley, J., Safi, T. & Liu, L. Quantitative study on current-induced effect in an antiferromagnet insulator/Pt bilayer film. Phys.Rev. Lett. 123, 247206 (2019).46. Amin, V. P., Zemen, J. & Stiles, M. D. Interface-generated spin cur-rents. Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 136805 (2018).47. Li, S. et al. Nanoscale magnetic domains in polycrystalline Mn3Snfilms imaged by a scanning single-spin magnetometer. Nano Lett.23, 5326–5333 (2023).48. Baldrati, L. et al. Mechanism of Néel order switching in anti-ferromagnetic thin films revealed by magnetotransport and directimaging. Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 177201 (2019).49. Krishnaswamy, G. et al. Multidomain memristive switching ofPt38Mn62/[Co/Ni]n multilayers. Phys. Rev. Appl. 14, 044036 (2020).AcknowledgementsWe thank Y. Sato, N. Caçoilo, K. Gas, and M. Sawicki for their technicalsupport and fruitful discussions. This work was supported by the JSPSArticle https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56157-6Nature Communications |         (2025) 16:1171 7www.nature.com/naturecommunicationsKakenhi (Nos. 19H05622, 21J23061, 22KF0035, 22K14558, 24K16999,24K22949, 24H00039, and 24H02235), MEXT Initiative to EstablishNext-generation Novel Integrated Circuits Centers (X-NICS) (Grant No.JPJ011438), Iketani Science and Technology Foundation (No. 0331108-A), Casio Science and Technology Foundation (Nos. 39-11 and40-4), andResearch Institute of Electrical Communication Cooperative ResearchProjects. J.-Y.Y. and T.U. acknowledge financial support fromGP-Spin atTohoku University.Author contributionsJ.-Y.Y., R.T., J.H., and S.F. planned the study. J.-Y.Y., Y.T., and R.T. designedthe stacks. J.-Y.Y., R.T., and T.U. prepared the stacks. J.-Y.Y. characterizedthe basic properties of the stacks. J.-Y.Y. and R.T. fabricated the stack intothe devices. J.-Y.Y. performed transport measurements and analysed thedata with input from Y.T., R.T., Y.Y., J.I., and S.F. All authors discussed theresults. J.-Y.Y., J.H., and S.F. wrote the manuscript with input from theother authors. H.O. and S.F. supervised the research.Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing interests.Additional informationSupplementary information The online version containssupplementary material available athttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56157-6.Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed toJiahao Han or Shunsuke Fukami.Peer review information Nature Communications thanks the anon-ymous reviewer(s) for their contribution to thepeer reviewof thiswork. Apeer review file is available.Reprints and permissions information is available athttp://www.nature.com/reprintsPublisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jur-isdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative CommonsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License,which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution andreproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriatecredit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to theCreative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensedmaterial. Youdonot havepermissionunder this licence toshare adaptedmaterial derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other thirdparty material in this article are included in the article’s CreativeCommons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to thematerial. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commonslicence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation orexceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directlyfrom the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.© The Author(s) 2025Article https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56157-6Nature Communications |         (2025) 16:1171 8https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56157-6http://www.nature.com/reprintshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/www.nature.com/naturecommunications Electrical mutual switching in a noncollinear-antiferromagnetic–ferromagnetic heterostructure Results and discussion Basic structural, transport, and magnetic properties Polarity-reversible field-free switching of CoFeB by the MSHT from Mn3Sn Electrical control of the MSHT polarity from the magnetic spin source Mn3Sn Full sequence of the electrical mutual switching Proof-of-concept device functionalities Methods Sample preparation X-ray diffraction Transport measurements Data availability References Acknowledgements Author contributions Competing interests Additional information