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ABSTRACT Colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) refers to a large change in electrical conductivity induced by a magnetic field in the vicinity of a metal–insulator transition and has inspired
extensive studies for decades1,2. Here we demonstrate an analogous spin effect near the Néel temperature, _T_N = 296 K, of the antiferromagnetic insulator Cr2O3. Using a yttrium iron garnet
YIG/Cr2O3/Pt trilayer, we injected a spin current from the YIG into the Cr2O3 layer and collected, via the inverse spin Hall effect, the spin signal transmitted into the heavy metal Pt. We
observed a two orders of magnitude difference in the transmitted spin current within 14 K of the Néel temperature. This transition between spin conducting and non-conducting states was also
modulated by a magnetic field in isothermal conditions. This effect, which we term spin colossal magnetoresistance (SCMR), has the potential to simplify the design of fundamental spintronics
components, for instance, by enabling the realization of spin-current switches or spin-current-based memories. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of
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* Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS ELECTRICAL SWITCHING OF THE PERPENDICULAR NÉEL ORDER IN A
COLLINEAR ANTIFERROMAGNET Article 30 September 2024 SPIN-ORBIT TORQUE SWITCHING OF AN ANTIFERROMAGNETIC METALLIC HETEROSTRUCTURE Article Open access 11 November 2020 FIELD-FREE SPIN-ORBIT
TORQUE SWITCHING ASSISTED BY IN-PLANE UNCONVENTIONAL SPIN TORQUE IN ULTRATHIN [PT/CO]N Article Open access 04 July 2023 REFERENCES * Ramirez, A. P. Colossal magnetoresistance. _J. Phys.
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Article Google Scholar Download references ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work was supported by JST-ERATO ‘Spin Quantum Rectification’, JST-PRESTO ‘Phase Interfaces for Highly Efficient Energy
Utilization’, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Area, ‘Nano Spin Conversion Science’ (26103005 and 26103006), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (S) (25220910),
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) (25247056 and 15H02012), Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research (26600067), Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up (25889003) and
World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI), all from MEXT, Japan. Z.Q. acknowledges support from the ‘Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
(DUT17RC(3)073)’. D.H. acknowledges support from Grant-in-Aid for young scientists (B) (JP17K14331), J.B. acknowledges supports from the Graduate Program in Spintronics, Tohoku University,
and Grand-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) (17K14102). K.Y. and O.G. acknowledge support from the Humboldt Foundation and EU ERC Advanced Grant no. 268066. K.Y. acknowledges the Transregional
Collaborative Research Center (SFB/TRR) 173 SPIN+X and DAAD project ‘MaHoJeRo’. O.G. acknowledges the EU FET Open RIA Grant no. 766566 and the DFG (project SHARP 397322108). AUTHOR
INFORMATION Author notes * Eiji Saitoh Present address: Department of applied physics, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku
University, Sendai, Japan Zhiyong Qiu, Joseph Barker, Kei Yamamoto & Eiji Saitoh * Key Laboratory of Materials Modification by Laser, Ion, and Electron Beams (Ministry of Education),
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China Zhiyong Qiu * WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
Dazhi Hou & Eiji Saitoh * Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, Mainz, Germany Kei Yamamoto & Olena Gomonay * Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of
Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA Kei Yamamoto * Centre of Materials for Information Technology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA Kei Yamamoto * Advanced Science Research Center, Japan
Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai, Japan Kei Yamamoto & Eiji Saitoh Authors * Zhiyong Qiu View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Dazhi Hou View
author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Joseph Barker View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Kei
Yamamoto View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Olena Gomonay View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google
Scholar * Eiji Saitoh View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CONTRIBUTIONS Z.Q. and D.H. designed the experiment, Z.Q. fabricated the samples
and collected all the data. Z.Q., D.H., J.B. and K.Y. analysed the data. J.B., K.Y. and O.G. contributed theoretical discussions. E.S. supervised this study. All the authors discussed the
results and prepared the manuscript. CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to Dazhi Hou. ETHICS DECLARATIONS COMPETING INTERESTS The authors declare no competing interests. ADDITIONAL
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INFORMATION Supplementary Notes 1–4, Supplementary Figures 1–3, Supplementary References 1–5 RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Qiu, Z.,
Hou, D., Barker, J. _et al._ Spin colossal magnetoresistance in an antiferromagnetic insulator. _Nature Mater_ 17, 577–580 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-018-0087-4 Download citation
* Received: 21 September 2017 * Accepted: 24 April 2018 * Published: 28 May 2018 * Issue Date: July 2018 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-018-0087-4 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share
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