Observation of the unidirectional magnetoresistance in antiferromagnetic insulator Fe2O3/Pt bilayers

Abstract: Unidirectional magnetoresistance (UMR) has been observed in a variety of stacks with ferromagnetic/spin Hall material bilayer structures. In this work, we reported UMR in antiferromagnetic insulator Fe2O3/Pt structure. The UMR has a negative value, which is related to interfacial Rashba coupling and band splitting. Thickness-dependent measurement reveals a potential competition between UMR and the unidirectional spin Hall magnetoresistance (USMR). This work revealed the existence of UMR in antiferromagnetic insulators/heavy metal bilayers and broadens the way for the application of antiferromagnet-based spintronic devices.