Heterointerface*

The 5d Iridate SrIrO₃ (SIO) is a paramagnetic semimetal with strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC) when prepared in the orthorhombic phase. In this study, we explore the possibility of inducing magnetic order and nontrivial chiral spin structures in ultrathin SIO films using the polarization field of a neighboring ferroelectric layer. We have fabricated high quality epitaxial PbZr_0.2Ti_0.8O₃ (PZT)/SIO (1.6-2 nm) heterostructures and demonstrated nonvolatile ferroelectric field-effect modulation of channel resistance. For the 1.6 nm SIO channel, we can reversibly control SIO between the metallic and insulating phases by switching the polarization field of PZT. More interestingly, in the insulating phase, the Hall effect measurements reveal features of hysteresis and topological Hall effect, suggesting a polarization-induced antiferromagnetic order. We ascribe it to the emerging interfacial Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction due to strong SOC and polarization-enhanced inversion symmetry breaking. Our results demonstrate a feasible way to achieve electrically controlled magnetic order and design topological electronics at the heterointerface of complex oxides.