Proximity-induced Rashba spin-orbit interaction in BaMnO${}_{\text{3}}|$KTaO${}_{\text{3}}$ heterostructure for antiferromagnetic spintronics

Abstract

Antiferromagnetic spintronics, a promising technology for ultra-fast electronic devices, faces several challenges, including the lack of materials simultaneously hosting robust antiferromagnetism and adequate Rashba-like interaction. We design a heterostructure of BaMnO${}_3|$KTaO${}_3$ with the idea of proximity-inducing strong Rashba spin-orbit interaction from KTaO${}_3$ part to BaMnO${}_3$ part, where the latter is already a robust antiferromagnet. Within our DFT calculations, the heterostructure reveals BaMnO${}_3$ bands near the Fermi level with a significant magnetic moment per Mn atom and a decent ordering temperature. Further, the BaMnO${}_3$ bands in the heterostructure exhibit linear Rashba interaction with a sizable Rashba coefficient, owing to its proximity to KTaO${}_3$. Our work can motivate future research by demonstrating the road map to proximity-induced Rashba interaction for antiferromagnetic spintronics.