Terahertz Spin Current Pulses in Antiferromagnetic Oxide: The Role of Vacancy-Induced Ferromagnetism

Antiferromagnetic oxides have attracted increasing attention for their outstanding peculiarities in spintronics. Crystal lattice defects that are present in antiferromagnetic oxides can influence their physical properties, such as vacancy-induced ferromagnetism. Meanwhile, the generation and manipulation of ultrafast spin currents of antiferromagnetic insulators are highly desired. Although the generation and detection of terahertz spin current pulses in antiferromagnetic oxides have been realized, the effect of vacancy-induced ferromagnetism on spin current in antiferromagnetic oxides is not yet known. Herein, the role of vacancy-induced ferromagnetism on the terahertz spin current in antiferromagnetic nickel oxide thin films is reported. Structural and magnetic characterizations reveal that nickel vacancies effectively break the strong antiferromagnetic exchange coupling, giving rise to the coexistence of antiferromagnetism and ferromagnetism in NiO thin films. Notably, the enhancement of terahertz radiation associated with the photo-induced ultrafast spin current of NiO thin film with the strongest ferromagnetism is the most significant. Besides, the nonlinear susceptibility tensor parameters related to the antiferromagnetic property of NiO thin films also change distinctly. The findings indicate that the defects of antiferromagnetic materials play a decisive role in the application of antiferromagnetic spintronics in the terahertz field.