SKYTOP · Skyrmion-Topological insulator and Weyl semimetal technology

The overall objective in SKYTOP is to make cross-fertilization between different topological classes of materials to realize devices with intertwined electronic spin and topology. In particular, in this project the aim is to combine two “topological classes”, one existing in real space associated with skyrmions and a second one defined in the reciprocal space associated with topological insulators (TI) and Weyl semimetals (WSM). The project consists of the following technical objectives: 1) Develop thin film TI-technology and exploratory research on topological WSM; 2) Develop a functional TI/Weyl-Skyrmion media platform 3) Demonstrate TI/Weyl-Skyrmion based devices. The main idea is to take advantage of the strong charge-to-spin conversion effect anticipated in TI with strong spin orbit coupling (SOC) to nucleate and control the skyrmion dynamics. SKYTOP proposes skyrmion-based bio-inspired devices and reconfigurable filters with enhanced efficiency and new functionality that could lead to a paradigm shift in ultra-dense low power nanoelectronics. SKYTOP will also expected to open a route for exploitation of the emerging Weyl semimetal materials which are currently being investigated at the basic research level.