Nonvolatile electrical control of magnetic anisotropy in ferromagnetic LaBr2 monolayer on ferroelectric In2Se3 substrate

The electrical control of magnetic anisotropy in spintronic devices holds significant promise for various applications but remains challenging. Here, based on first-principles calculations, we demonstrate nonvolatile electrical control of magnetic anisotropy by constructing a van der Waals multiferroic structure comprising a ferromagnetic LaBr2 monolayer (ML) and a ferroelectric In2Se3 ML. By utilizing the electric polarization of the In2Se3 ML, the LaBr2 ML, which exhibits properties of a two-dimensional XY ferromagnet, can transition into an Ising ferromagnet, resulting in a switch in the easy magnetization axis (EMA) from in-plane to out-of-plane directions. Additionally, the LaBr2 ML undergoes a phase transition from a semiconductor to a metallic state, offering potential for logic devices. These remarkable changes in EMA and electronic properties stem from polarization field-induced band bending at the interface and interfacial charge transfer. Our findings not only pave the way for achieving nonvolatile electrical control of magnetic anisotropy in a ferromagnetic LaBr2 ML on a ferroelectric In2Se3 substrate but also provide insight for designing nonvolatile memory and logic devices.