Creation and annihilation of non-volatile fixed magnetic skyrmions using voltage control of magnetic anisotropy

Magnetic skyrmions are topological spin textures that could be used to create magnetic memory and logic devices. Such devices typically rely on current-controlled motion of skyrmions, but using skyrmions that are fixed in space could lead to more compact and energy-efficient devices. Here we report the manipulation of fixed magnetic skyrmions using voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy. We show that skyrmions can be stabilized in antiferromagnet/ferromagnet/oxide heterostructure films without any external magnetic field due to an exchange bias field. The isolated skyrmions are annihilated or formed by applying voltage pulses that increase or decrease the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, respectively. We also show that skyrmions can be created from chiral domains by increasing the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of the system. Our experimental findings are corroborated using micromagnetic simulations. Fixed magnetic skyrmions that are stabilized without any external magnetic field can be manipulated using an electric field, providing an approach that could be used to create compact and energy-efficient devices