The ability to engineer new states of matter and to control their electronic and spintronic properties by electric fields is at the heart of the modern information technology and driving force behind recent advances in van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures of two-dimensional materials. Here, we exploit a proximity-induced Rashba-Edelstein (REE) effect in vdW heterostructures of Weyl semimetal candidate MoTe2 and CVD graphene, where an unprecedented gate-controlled switching of spin-galvanic effect emerges due to an efficient spin-to-charge conversion at room temperature. The magnitude of the measured spin-galvanic signal is found to be an order of magnitude larger than the other systems, giving rise to a giant REE. The magnitude and the sign of the spin-galvanic signal are shown to be strongly modulated by gate electric field near the charge neutrality point, which can be understood considering the spin textures of the Rashba spin-orbit coupling-induced spin-splitting in conduction and valence bands of the heterostructure. These findings open opportunities for utilization of gate-controlled switching of spin-galvanic effects in spintronic memory and logic technologies and possibilities for realization of new states of matter with novel spin textures in vdW heterostructures with gate-tunable functionalities.
Unique electronic spin textures in topological states of matter are promising for emerging spin-orbit driven memory and logic technologies. However, there are several challenges related to the enhancement of their performance, electrical gate-tunability, interference from trivial bulk states, and heterostructure interfaces. We address these challenges by integrating two-dimensional graphene with a three-dimensional topological insulator (TI) in van der Waals heterostructures to take advantage of their remarkable spintronic properties and engineer proximity-induced spin-charge conversion phenom…
Spin-orbit coupling stands as a powerful tool to interconvert charge and spin currents and to manipulate the magnetization of magnetic materials through the spin torque phenomena. However, despite the diversity of existing bulk materials and the recent advent of interfacial and low-dimensional effects, control of the interconvertion at room-temperature remains elusive. Here, we unequivocally demonstrate strongly enhanced room-temperature spin-to-charge (StC) conversion in graphene driven by the proximity of a semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenide(WS2). By performing spin precession ex…
In disordered systems, the hopping conductivity regime is usually realized at low temperatures where spin-related phenomena differ strongly from the case of delocalized carriers. We develop the unified microscopic theory of current induced spin orientation, spin-galvanic and spin-Hall effects for the two-dimensional hopping regime. We show that the corresponding susceptibilities are proportional to each other and determined by the interplay between the drift and the diffusion spin currents. Estimations are made for realistic semiconductor heterostructures using the percolation theory. We show …
We evaluate the non-equilibrium spin polarization induced by an applied electric field for a tight-binding model of electron states at oxides interfaces in LAO/STO heterostructures. By a combination of analytic and numerical approaches we investigate how the spin texture of the electron eigenstates due to the interplay of spin-orbit coupling and inversion asymmetry determines the sign of the induced spin polarization as a function of the chemical potential or band filling, both in the absence and presence of local disorder. With the latter, we find that the induced spin polarization evolves fr…
The magneto-gyrotropic photogalvanic and spin-galvanic effects are observed in (0001)-oriented GaN/AlGaN heterojunctions excited by terahertz radiation. We show that free-carrier absorption of linearly or circularly polarized terahertz radiation in low-dimensional structures causes an electric photocurrent in the presence of an in-plane magnetic field. Microscopic mechanisms of these photocurrents based on spin-related phenomena are discussed. Properties of the magneto-gyrotropic and spin-galvanic effects specific for hexagonal heterostructures are analyzed.
We theoretically study magnetoelectric effects in a heterostructure of a generic band insulator and a ferromagnet. In contrast to the kinetic magnetoelectric effect in metals, referred to as the Edelstein effect or the inverse spin galvanic effect, our mechanism relies on virtual interband transitions between the valence and conduction bands and therefore immune to disorder or impurity scattering. By calculating electric field-induced magnetization by the linear response theory, we reveal that the magnetoelectric effect shows up without specific parameter choices. The magnetoelectric effect qu…
Current-driven spin-orbit torques are investigated in a heterostructure composed of a ferromagnet deposited on top of a three dimensional topological insulator using the linear response formalism. We develop a tight-binding model of the heterostructure adopting a minimal interfacial hybridization scheme that promotes induced magnetic exchange on the topological surface states, as well as induced Rashba-like spin-orbit coupling in the ferromagnet. Therefore, our model accounts for spin Hall effect from bulk states together with inverse spin galvanic and magnetoelectric effects at the interface …
van der Waals heterostructures assembled from atomically thin crystals are ideal model systems to study spin-orbital coupled transport because they exhibit a strong interplay between spin, lattice and valley degrees of freedom that can be manipulated by strain, electric bias and proximity effects. The recently predicted spin-helical regime in graphene on transition metal dichalcogenides, in which spin and pseudospin degrees of freedom are locked together [M. Offidani et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 196801 (2017)], suggests their potential application in spintronics. Here, by deriving an Eilenberg…
Due to the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) an electric current flowing in a normal metal or semiconductor can induce a bulk magnetic moment. This effect is known as the Edelstein (EE) or magneto-electric effect. Similarly, in a bulk superconductor a phase gradient may create a finite spin density. The inverse effect, also known as the spin-galvanic effect, corresponds to the creation of a supercurrent by an equilibrium spin polarization. Here, by exploiting the analogy between a linear-in-momentum SOC and a background SU(2) gauge field, we develop a quasiclassical transport theory to deal with magne…
We report the observation of current-induced spin polarization, the Rashba-Edelstein effect (REE), and its Onsager reciprocal phenomenon, the spin galvanic effect (SGE), in a few-layer graphene/2H-TaS2 heterostructure at room temperature. Spin-sensitive electrical measurements unveil full spin-polarization reversal by an applied gate voltage. The observed gate-tunable charge-to-spin conversion is explained by the ideal work function mismatch between 2H-TaS2 and graphene, which allows strong interface-induced Bychkov-Rashba interaction with a spin-gap reaching 70 meV, while keeping the Dirac na…
Van der Waals heterostructures give access to a wide variety of new phenomena that emerge thanks to the combination of properties brought in by the constituent layered materials. We show here that owing to an enhanced interaction cross section with electrons in a type I van der Waals heterostructure, made of single layer molybdenum disulphide and thin boron nitride films, electrons and holes created in boron nitride can be transferred to the dichalcogenide where they form electron-hole pairs yielding luminescence. This cathodoluminescence can be mapped with a spatial resolution far exceeding w…
One-dimensional (1D) topologically protected states are usually formed at the interface between two-dimensional (2D) materials with different topological invariants. Therefore, 1D chiral interface channels (CICs) can be created at the boundary of two quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) insulators with different Chern numbers. Such a QAH junction can function as a chiral edge current distributer at zero magnetic field, but its realization remains challenging. Here, by employing an in-situ mechanical mask, we use molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) to synthesize QAH insulator junctions, in which two QAH insul…
The new paradigm of heterostructures based on two-dimensional (2D) atomic crystals has already led to the observation of exciting physical phenomena and creation of novel devices. The possibility of combining layers of different 2D materials in one stack allows unprecedented control over the electronic and optical properties of the resulting material. Still, the current method of mechanical transfer of individual 2D crystals, though allowing exceptional control over the quality of such structures and interfaces, is not scalable. Here we show that such heterostructures can be assembled from che…
Integration of two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdWs) materials with non-2D materials to realize mixed-dimensional heterostructures has potential for creating functional devices beyond the reach of existing materials and has long been a pursuit of the material science community. Here we report the patterning of monolayer/bilayer transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) nanostructures with nanometer-precision, tunable sizes and sites at interfaces of graphene/TMD heterostructures. Our experiments demonstrate that the TMD nanostructures can be created at selected positions of the interface using…
We study the exchange between electron and magnon spins at the interface of an antiferromagnet and a heavy metal at finite temperatures. The underlying physical mechanism is based on spin torque associated with the creation/annihilation of thermal magnons with right-hand and left-hand polarization. The creation/annihilation process depends strongly on the relative orientation between the polarization of the electron and the magnon spins. For a sufficiently strong spin transfer torque (STT), the conversion process becomes nonlinear, generating a nonzero net spin pumping current in the AFM that …
Magnetic skyrmions are chiral nanoscale spin textures which are usually induced by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI). Recently, magnetic skyrmions have been observed in two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) ferromagnetic materials, such as Fe$_{3}$GeTe$_{2}$. The electric control of skyrmions is important for their potential application in low-power memory technologies. Here, we predict that DMI and magnetic skyrmions in a Fe$_{3}$GeTe$_{2}$ monolayer can be controlled by ferroelectric polarization of an adjacent 2D vdW ferroelectric In$_{2}$Se$_{3}$. Based on density functional theor…
The celebrated electronic properties of graphene have opened way for materials just one-atom-thick to be used in the post-silicon electronic era. An important milestone was the creation of heterostructures based on graphene and other two-dimensional (2D) crystals, which can be assembled in 3D stacks with atomic layer precision. These layered structures have already led to a range of fascinating physical phenomena, and also have been used in demonstrating a prototype field effect tunnelling transistor - a candidate for post-CMOS technology. The range of possible materials which could be incorpo…
Half-integer conductance, the signature of Majorana edge modes, has been recently observed in a quantum anomalous Hall insulator/superconductor heterostructure. Here, we analyze a scheme for gate-tunable control of degenerate ground states of Majorana zero modes (MZM) in thin film topological superconductors. Gating the top surface of a thin film magnetic topological insulator controls the topological phase in the region underneath the gate. The voltage of the transition depends on the gate width, and narrower gates require larger voltages. Relatively long gates are required, on the order of a…
Unidirectional spin Hall magnetoresistance (USMR) has been widely reported in the heavy metal / ferromagnet (HM/FM) bilayer systems. We observe the USMR in the Pt/α-Fe2O3 bilayers where the α-Fe2O3 is an antiferromagnetic (AFM) insulator. Systematic field and temperature dependent measurements confirm the magnonic origin of the USMR. The appearance of AFM-USMR is driven by the imbalance of creation and annihilation of AFM magnons by spin orbit torque due to thermal random field. However, unlike its ferromagnetic counterpart, theoretical modeling reveals that the USMR in Pt/α-Fe2O3 is determine…
We present a comprehensive quasiclassical approach for studying transport properties of superconducting diffusive hybrid structures in the presence of extrinsic spin-orbit coupling. We derive a generalized Usadel equation and boundary conditions that in the normal state reduce to the drift-diffusion theory governing the spin-Hall effect in inversion symmetric materials. These equations predict the non-dissipative spin-galvanic effect, that is the generation of supercurrents by a spin-splitting field, and its inverse -- the creation of magnetic moment by a supercurrent. These effects can be see…
Voltage manipulation of skyrmions is a promising path towards low-energy spintronic devices. Here, voltage effects on skyrmions in a GdOx/Gd/Co/Pt heterostructure are observed experimentally. The results show that the skyrmion density can be both enhanced and depleted by the application of an electric field, along with the ability, at certain magnetic fields to completely switch the skyrmion state on and off. Further, a zero magnetic field skyrmion state can be stablized under a negative bias voltage using a defined voltage and magnetic field sequence. The voltage effects measured here occur o…
Spintronics aims to exploit the spin degree of freedom in solid state devices for data storage and information processing technologies. The fundamental spintronic device concepts such as creation, manipulation and detection of spin polarization has been demonstrated in semiconductors and spin transistor structures using both the electrical and optical methods. However, an unsolved challenge in the field is the realization of all electrical methods to control the spin polarization and spin transistor operation at ambient temperature. For this purpose, two-dimensional (2D) crystals offer a uniqu…
In this work, we utilize voltage controlled magnetic anisotropy (VCMA) to manipulate magnetic skyrmions that are fixed in space. Memory devices based on this strategy can potentially be of smaller footprint and better energy efficiency than current-controlled motion-based skyrmionic devices. To demonstrate VCMA induced manipulation of skyrmions, we fabricate antiferromagnet/ferromagnet/oxide heterostructure films where skyrmions can be stabilized without any external magnetic field due to the presence of exchange bias. These isolated skyrmions were annihilated by applying a voltage pulse that …
Flat-Band Generation in InAs/GaSb Quantum Wells through Vertically Engineered Heterostructures
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education（橡树岭科学教育研究所）；Sandia National Laboratories（桑迪亚国家实验室）；Institute for Matter and Systems, Georgia Institute of Technology（佐治亚理工学院物质系统研究所）；School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology（佐治亚理工学院物理学院）；National High Magnetic Field Laboratories（国家高磁场实验室）
By now it is known that in a singlet superconductor/ferromagnet (S/F) structure the superconducting correlations carried by opposite-spin pairs penetrate into the ferromagnet over a short distance of the order of magnetic coherence length. The long-range proximity effect (LRPE), taking place on the length scale of the normal metal coherence length, can only be maintained by equal-spin pairs, which can be generated by magnetic inhomogeneities in the system. In this work we have predicted a new type of LRPE, which can take place in S/F heterostructures under non-equilibrium conditions. The super…
Control of atomic reconstruction and quasi-1D excitons in strain-engineered moiré heterostructures
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München（慕尼黑大学）；Carl von Ossietzky University（卡尔·冯·奥西茨基大学）；Ioffe Institute（约费研究所）；Xi’an Jiaotong University（西安交通大学）；University of Göttingen（哥廷根大学）；Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)（中国科学院苏州纳米技术与纳米仿生研究所）；National Institute for Materials Science（物质材料研究机构）
Van der Waals heterostructures formed by stacking two-dimensional atomic crystals are a unique platform for exploring new phenomena and functionalities. Interlayer excitons, bound states of spatially separated electron-hole pairs in van der Waals heterostructures, have demonstrated potential for rich valley physics and optoelectronics applications, and been proposed to facilitate high-temperature superfluidity. Here, we demonstrate highly tunable layer-polarized excitons by an out-of-plane electric field in homo-bilayers of transition metal dichalcogenides. Continuous tuning from negative to p…
A residual disorder in the gate system is the main problem on the way to create artificial graphene based on two-dimensional electron gas. The disorder can be significantly screened/reduced due to the many-body effects. To analyse the screening/disorder problem we consider AlGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure with two metallic gates. We demonstrate that the design least susceptible to the disorder corresponds to the weak coupling regime (opposite to tight binding) which is realised via system of quantum anti-dots. The most relevant type of disorder is the area disorder which is a random variatio…
The ability to imprint a given material property to another through proximity effect in layered two-dimensional materials has opened the way to the creation of designer materials. Here, we use molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) for a direct synthesis of a superconductor-magnet hybrid heterostructure by combining superconducting niobium diselenide (NbSe$_2$) with the monolayer ferromagnetic chromium tribromide (CrBr$_3$). Using different characterization techniques and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations, we have confirmed that the CrBr$_3$ monolayer retains its ferromagnetic ordering with a…
A proximity effect at a van der Waals (vdW) interface enables creation of an emergent quantum electronic ground state. Here we demonstrate that an originally-superconducting two-dimensional (2D) NbSe2 forms a ferromagnetic ground state with spontaneous spin polarization at a vdW interface with a 2D ferromagnet V5Se8. We investigated the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) of the NbSe2/V5Se8 magnetic vdW heterostructures, and found that the sign of the AHE was reversed as the number of the V5Se8 layer was thinned down to the monolayer limit. Interestingly, the AHE signal of those samples was enhanced w…
A spin-dependent quantum transport is investigated in a paramagnetic resonant tunneling diode (RTD) based on a Zn$_{1-x}$Mn$_x$Se/ZnBeSe heterostructure. Using the Wigner-Poisson method and assuming the two-current model we have calculated the current-voltage characteristics, potential energy profiles and electron density distributions for spin-up and spin-down electron current in an external magnetic field. We have found that -- for both the spin-polarized currents -- two types of the current hysteresis appear on the current-voltage characteristics. The current hysteresis of the first type oc…
Low-dimensional electronic systems have traditionally been obtained by electrostatically confining electrons, either in heterostructures or in intrinsically nanoscale materials such as single molecules, nanowires, and graphene. Recently, a new paradigm has emerged with the advent of symmetry-protected surface states on the boundary of topological insulators, enabling the creation of electronic systems with novel properties. For example, time reversal symmetry (TRS) endows the massless charge carriers on the surface of a three-dimensional topological insulator with helicity, locking the orienta…
