Electrical manipulation of a ferromagnet by an antiferromagnet

Several recent studies of antiferromagnetic (AFM) spintronics have focused on transmission and detection of spin-currents in AFMs. Efficient spin transmission through AFMs was inferred from experiments in FM/AFM/NM (normal metal) structures. Measurements in FM/AFM bilayers have demonstrated that a metallic AFM can also act as an efficient ISHE detector of the spin-current, with spin-Hall angles comparable to heavy NMs. Here we demonstrate that an antiferromagnet can be employed for a highly efficient electrical manipulation of a ferromagnet. We use an all-electrical excitation and detection technique of ferromagnetic resonance in a NiFe/IrMn bilayer. We observe antidamping-like spin torque acting on the NiFe generated by the in-plane current driven through the IrMn antiferromagnet. A large enhancement of the torque, characterized by an effective spin-Hall angle exceeding most heavy transition metals, correlates with the presence of the exchange-bias field at the NiFe/IrMn interface. It highlights that, in addition to strong spin-orbit coupling, the AFM order in IrMn governs the observed phenomenon.