Efficient current-induced spin torques and field-free magnetization switching in a room-temperature van der Waals magnet

The discovery of magnetism in van der Waals (vdW) materials has established unique building blocks for the research of emergent spintronic phenomena. In particular, owing to their intrinsically clean surface without dangling bonds, the vdW magnets hold the potential to construct a superior interface that allows for efficient electrical manipulation of magnetism. Despite several attempts in this direction, it usually requires a cryogenic condition and the assistance of external magnetic fields, which is detrimental to the real application. Here, we fabricate heterostructures based on Fe GaTe flakes that have room-temperature ferromagnetism with excellent perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The current-driven nonreciprocal modulation of coercive fields reveals a high spin-torque efficiency in the Fe GaTe /Pt heterostructures, which further leads to a full magnetization switching by current. Moreover, we demonstrate the field-free magnetization switching resulting from out-of-plane polarized spin currents by asymmetric geometry design. Our work could expedite the development of efficient vdW spintronic logic, memory, and neuromorphic computing devices.