Project description
New material allowing spin wave control could boost ultra-efficient technologies
Spintronic devices, which use electron spin for data processing, hold great potential for low-power technologies, including next-generation memory devices, logic circuits and quantum computing systems. Topological magnons with – spin waves that can travel along specific paths without being scattered by defects – could advance spintronics, but controlling them with electric fields remains challenging. This arises from the difficulty of combining topological and magnetoelectric properties in a single material. The ERC-funded TOPOLOGIQ project will help overcome this by developing a new material platform using pyrochlore oxides known for their complex quantum behaviour. TOPOLOGIQ will seek to precisely manipulate these materials at the atomic level to ultimately combine topological and magnetoelectric properties for the first time. This breakthrough could pave the way for innovative quantum materials, enabling the creation of next-generation low-energy devices.
Objective
Topological magnons offer immense promise for the development of dissipation-less spintronic devices. However, the ability to control these spin excitations through electric fields remains a significant challenge due to the difficulty in stabilising systems that exhibit both topological and magnetoelectric properties within a single framework. TOPOLOGIQ aims to address this by creating a novel epitaxial platform based on pyrochlore oxides (A2B2O₇), with the final goal of combining topological and magnetoelectric properties in an oxide material for the first time.
Bulk pyrochlore oxides host a rich variety of quantum phenomena due to the interplay between electron, spin, and orbital degrees of freedom in a geometrically-frustrated lattice. Recent advancements in epitaxial growth and related nanotechnology provide the tools to precisely control factors like strain, dimensionality, oxygen stoichiometry and interface proximity, offering a unique opportunity to manipulate these complex interactions in thin-film form.
TOPOLOGIQ’s strategy encompasses four core objectives: 1) Growing high-quality magnetically-ordered pyrochlore heterostructures, 2) Inducing structural transitions by manipulating strain, confinement, periodicity, and oxygen non-stoichiometry, 3) Characterising the emerging topological and symmetry properties using resonant spectroscopic probes, and 4) Modulating these properties via external magnetic and electric fields.
This ambitious approach extends the use of cutting-edge nanotechnology beyond the perovskite oxides (ABO3) commonly studied in this context, unlocking the potential of pyrochlore oxides as novel quantum materials. By achieving atomic-scale control over magnetoelectric coupling and magnon topology, TOPOLOGIQ will establish a new paradigm in material science, with broad implications for energy-efficient devices and quantum technologies.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
- engineering and technology materials engineering coating and films
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics spintronics
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics semiconductivity
- natural sciences physical sciences optics spectroscopy
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
28006 MADRID
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.