Strain engineering is a promising approach for suppressing the OFF-state conductance in graphene-based devices that arises from Klein tunnelling. In this work, we derive a comprehensive tight-binding Hamiltonian for strained graphene that incorporates strain-induced effects that have been neglected hitherto, such as the distortion of the unit cell under strain, the effect of strain on the next-nearest neighbor coupling, and the second-order contributions of the strain tensor. We derive the corresponding low-energy effective Hamiltonian about the Dirac points and reformulate the boundary conditions at the interfaces between strained and unstrained graphene in light of additional terms in the Hamiltonian. By applying these boundary conditions, we evaluate the transmission across a strained graphene heterostructure consisting of a central segment sandwiched between two unstrained leads. Modulation of the transmitted current can be effected by varying the magnitude and direction of the applied strain, as well as by the applying a gate voltage. Based on realistic parameter values, we predict that high ON-OFF ratios of up to $10^{12}$ as well as high current valley polarization can be achieved in the strain-modulated device.
The recent proposal of using an anisotropic vacuum for generating valley coherence in transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) monolayers has expanded the potential of such valley degrees of freedom for applications in valleytronics. In this work, we open up a completely new regime, inaccessible with monolayer TMDCs, of spontaneously generated valley coherence in interlayer excitons in commensurate TMDC bilayer heterostructures. Using the peculiar out of plane polarization of interlayer excitons in conjunction with an in-plane anisotropic electromagnetic vacuum, we show that a much larger region…
Valley degree of freedom in the 2D semiconductor is a promising platform for the next generation optoelectronics. Electrons in different valleys can have opposite Berry curvature, leading to the valley Hall effect (VHE). However, VHE without the plasmonic structure's assistance has only been reported in cryogenic temperature, limiting its practical application. Here, we report the observation of VHE at room temperature in the MoS2/WSe2 heterostructures. We also uncover that both the magnitude and the polarity of the VHE in the 2D heterostructure is gate tunable. We attribute this to the opposi…
Transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductors represent elementary components of layered heterostructures for emergent technologies beyond conventional opto-electronics. In their monolayer form they host electrons with quantized circular motion and associated valley polarization and valley coherence as key elements of opto-valleytronic functionality. Here, we introduce two-dimensional polarimetry as means of direct imaging of the valley pseudospin degree of freedom in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides. Using MoS$_2$ as a representative material with valley-selective optical transitio…
In this paper, we present a novel route to tunable spontaneous valley coherence in heterostructures of two dimensional valleytronic materials with other layered materials hosting anisotropic polaritonic modes. We first discuss the dependence of this coherence on the conductivity tensor of the anisotropic part of a general heterostructure and on its geometrical configuration. Subsequently, we propose two implementations - one, using anisotropic plasmons in phosphorene and another with hyperbolic phonon polaritons in MoO3. In both these systems we show for the first time electrostatic tunability…
Two-dimensional semiconductors feature valleytronics phenomena due to locking of the spin and momentum valley of the electrons. However, the valley polarization is intrinsically limited in monolayer crystals by the fast intervalley electron-hole exchange. Hetero-bilayer crystals have been shown to have a longer exciton lifetime and valley depolarization time. But the reported valley polarization was low; the valley selection rules and mechanisms of valley depolarization remains controversial. Here, we report singlet and brightened triplet interlayer excitons both with over 80% valley polarizat…
Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides have attracted great attentions for potential applications in valleytronics. However, the valley polarization degree is usually not high because of the intervalley scattering. Here, we demonstrate a largely enhanced valley polarization up to 80\% in monolayer WS$_2$ under non-resonant excitation at 4.2 K using WS$_2$/LaMnO$_3$ thin film heterostructure, which is much higher than that for monolayer WS$_2$ on SiO$_2$/Si substrate with a valley polarization of 15\%. Furthermore, the greatly enhanced valley polarization can be maintained to a high tempera…
Probing and controlling the valley degree of freedom in graphene systems by transport measurements has been a major challenge to fully exploit the unique properties of this two-dimensional material. In this theoretical work, we show that this goal can be achieved by a quantum-wire geometry made of gapped graphene that acts as a valley filter with the following favorable features: i) all electrical gate control, ii) electrically switchable valley polarity, iii) robustness against configuration fluctuation, and iv) potential for room temperature operation. This valley filtering is accomplished b…
We numerically study the general valley polarization and anomalous Hall effect in van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures based on monolayer jacutingaite family materials Pt$_{2}$AX$_{3}$ (A = Hg, Cd, Zn; X = S, Se, Te). We perform a systematic study on the atomic, electronic, and topological properties of vdW heterostructures composed of monolayer Pt$_{2}$AX$_{3}$ and two-dimensional ferromagnetic insulators. We show that four kinds of vdW heterostructures exhibit valley-polarized quantum anomalous Hall phase, i.e., Pt$_{2}$HgS$_{3}$/NiBr$_{2}$, Pt$_{2}$HgSe$_{3}$/CoBr$_{2}$, Pt$_{2}$HgSe$_{3}$/…
Electric field-induced magnetization switching in interface-coupled multiferroic heterostructures: A highly-dense, non-volatile, and ultra-low-energy computing paradigm
Topological insulators (TIs) are a promising class of materials for manipulating the magnetization of an adjacent ferromagnet (FM) through the spin-orbit torque (SOT) mechanism. However, current studies combining TIs with conventional FMs present large device-to-device variations, resulting in a broad distribution of SOT magnitudes. It has been identified that the interfacial quality between the TI and the FM is of utmost importance in determining the nature and efficiency of the SOT. To optimize the SOT magnitude and enable ultra-low-power magnetization switching, an atomically smooth interfa…
For monolayer transition metal chalcogenides (TMDs), electrons and excitons in different valleys can be driven to opposite directions by the Berry curvature, serving as a valley-dependent effective magnetic field. In addition to monolayer TMDs, Van der Waals heterostructures provide an attractive platform for emerging valley physics and devices with superior physics properties. Interlayer excitons in TMD heterostructures have a long valley lifetime as compared to monolayer intralayer excitons. Here we report an interlayer exciton valley polarization and valley Hall effect in MoS2/WSe2 in room …
We demonstrate efficient current induced spin orbit torque switching in perpendicularly magnetized epitaxial MgO(001)//Pd/Co2FeAl/MgO heterostructures grown by magnetron sputtering. The advantage of such heterostructures for spin orbit torque MRAM devices is that they allow a unique combination of critical ingredients: i) low resistivity required for reduced electric energy consumption during writing, ii) high TMR ratio required for efficient reading and iii) strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy for increased thermal stability.
Among van der Waals (vdW) layered ferromagnets, Fe3GeTe2 (FGT) is an excellent candidate material to form FGT/heavy metal heterostructures for studying the effect of spin-orbit torques (SOT). Its metallicity, strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy built in the single atomic layers, relatively high Curie temperature (Tc about 225 K) and electrostatic gate tunability offer a tantalizing possibility of achieving the ultimate high SOT limit in monolayer all-vdW nanodevices. The spin current generated in Pt exerts a damping-like SOT on FGT magnetization. At about 2.5x1011 A/m2 current density,SOT…
Utilizing spin or valley degree of freedom is one of the promising approaches to realize more energy-efficient information processing. In the 2D transition metal dichalcogenide, the spin/valley current can be generated by utilizing the circular photogalvanic effect (CPGE), i.e., the generation of photocurrent by a circularly polarized light. Here we show that an in-plane electric field at MoS2/WSe2 heterostructure-electrode boundary results in an electrically tunable circular photogalvanic effect (CPGE) under optical excitation with normal incidence. The observed CPGE can be explained by the v…
Application of sufficient lateral current to a heavy metal (HM) can switch the perpendicular magnetization orientation of adjacent ferromagnetic layer (FM) through spin-orbit torques (SOTs). The choice of the HM and its arrangement plays a major role for the SOT induced magnetization switching in magnetic heterostructures. Here, in asymmetric Pt/Co/Pt heterostructures, anti-damping (AD) SOT prevails. Ta addition to this stack (Ta/Pt/Co/Pt) give rise to several compelling effects viz. competing spin currents (due to opposite spin-Hall angles of adjacent Ta and Pt layers), significant AD-SOT, th…
Current-induced spin-orbit torque (SOT) is regarded as a promising mechanism for driving neuromorphic behavior in spin-orbitronic devices. In principle, the strong SOT in heavy metal-based magnetic heterostructure is attributed to the spin-orbit coupling (SOC)-induced spin Hall effect (SHE) and/or the spin Rashba-Edelstein effect (SREE). Recently, SOC-free mechanisms such as the orbital angular momentum (OAM)-induced orbital Hall effect (OHE) and/or the orbital Rashba-Edelstein effect (OREE) have been proposed to generate sizable torques comparable to those from the conventional spin Hall mech…
Electrical switching of antiferromagnets is an exciting recent development in spintronics, which promises active antiferromagnetic devices with high speed and low energy cost. In this emerging field, there is an active debate about the mechanisms of current-driven switching of antiferromagnets. Harmonic characterization is a powerful tool to quantify current-induced spin-orbit torques and spin Seebeck effect in heavy-metal/ferromagnet systems. However, the harmonic measurement technique has never been verified in antiferromagnetic heterostructures. Here, we report for the first time harmonic m…
It is crucial that magnetic memory devices formed from magnetic heterostructures possess sizable spin-orbit torque (SOT) efficiency and high thermal stability to realize both efficient SOT control and robust storage of such memory devices. However, most previous studies on various types of magnetic heterostructures have focused on only their SOT efficiencies, whereas the thermal stabilities therein have been largely ignored. In this work, we study the temperature-dependent SOT and stability properties of two types of W-based heterostructures, namely W/CoFeB/MgO (standard) and CoFeB/W/CoFeB/MgO…
Multiferroic van der Waals (vdW) heterostrucutres offers an exciting route towards novel nanoelectronics and spintronics device technology. Here we investigate the electronic and transport properties of multiferroic vdW heterostructure composed of ferromagnetic FeCl$_2$ monolayer and ferroelectric Sc$_2$CO$_2$ monolayer using first-principles density functional theory and quantum transport simulations. We show that FeCl$_2$/Sc$_2$CO$_2$ heterostructure can be reversibly switched from semiconducting to half-metallic behavior by electrically modulating the ferroelectric polarization states of Sc…
The valley-polarized quantum anomalous Hall effect (VQAHE) attracts intensive interest since it uniquely combines valleytronics and spintronics with nontrivial band topology. Here, based on first-principles calculations and Wannier-function-based tight-binding (WFTB) model, we reveal that valley-based Hall effects and especially the VQAHE induced by external magnetic fields can occur in two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetic van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs). The results show that considerable valley-splitting derived from the Zeeman exchange energy drives these vdWHs generating the valley an…
Ferroelectric switching of interfacial dipoles in $α$-RuCl$_3$/graphene heterostructure
Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST)（大邱庆北科学技术院）；Pohang University of Science and Technology（浦项科技大学）；Institute for Basic Science（基础科学研究院）；National Institute for Materials Science（国立材料研究所）；California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院）
The hunt for high temperature superfluidity has received new impetus from the discovery of atomically thin stable materials. Electron-hole superfluidity in coupled MoSe2-WSe2 monolayers is investigated using a mean-field multiband model that includes the band splitting caused by the strong spin-orbit coupling. The splitting leads to a large energy misalignment of the electron and hole bands which can be markedly changed by interchanging the doping of the monolayers. The choice of doping determines if the superfluidity is tuneable from one- to two-components. The electron-hole pairing is strong…
The electric conductivity behavior in the single and double tunnel-coupled quantum wells (QW) with different doping profile caused by impact of short pulses of the strong longitudinal (in the quantum wells plane) electric field has been investigated. It is established that at low temperatures (4 K) after such impact the long-term metastable state with increased electric conductance may be observed in the case of the asymmetric QW couple with the impurity delta shaped layer in the narrower QW. It is not observed in the structures with other configurations. The observed effect is explained by th…
Current-induced control of magnetization in ferromagnets using spin-orbit torque (SOT) has drawn attention as a new mechanism for fast and energy efficient magnetic memory devices. Energy-efficient spintronic devices require a spin-current source with a large SOT efficiency ($ξ$) and electrical conductivity ($σ$), and an efficient spin injection across a transparent interface. Herein, we use single crystals of the van der Waals (vdW) topological semimetal WTe$_2$ and vdW ferromagnet Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$ to satisfy the requirements in their all-vdW-heterostructure with an atomically sharp interface. …
Real-Space Switching of Local Moments Driven by Quantum Geometry in Correlated Graphene Heterostructures
Universität Würzburg（维尔茨堡大学）；Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat（维尔茨堡-德累斯顿卓越集群 ct.qmat）；I. Institute of Theoretical Physics, Universität Hamburg（汉堡大学第一理论物理研究所）；The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging（汉堡超快成像中心）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University（石溪大学物理与天文学系）；Center for Computational Quantum Physics, Flatiron Institute（平顿研究所计算量子物理中心）
Ferroelectric switching control of spin current in graphene proximitized by In$_2$Se$_3$
Institute of Informatics, Slovak Academy of Sciences（斯洛伐克科学院信息学研究所）；Faculty of Physics, University of Belgrade（贝尔格莱德大学物理学院）；Institute of Physics, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice（科希策帕沃尔·约瑟夫·沙法里克大学物理研究所）；Institute of Physics, University of Silesia in Katowice（卡托维兹西里西亚大学物理研究所）；Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences（斯洛伐克科学院实验物理研究所）；New Technologies Research Centre, University of West Bohemia（西波希米亚大学新技术研究中心）
Electric-field control of magnetization dynamics is fundamentally and technologically important for future spintronic devices. Here, based on electric-field control of both magnetic anisotropy and spin--orbit torque, two distinct methods are presented for switching the magnetization in topological insulator (TI)/magnetic-TI hybrid systems. The magnetic anisotropy energy in magnetic TIs is formulated analytically as a function of the Fermi energy, and it is confirmed that the out-of-plane magnetization is always favored for the partially occupied surface band. Also proposed is a transistor-like…
Determination of the Spin-Hall-Effect-Induced and the Wedged-Structure-Induced Spin Torque Efficiencies in Heterostructures with Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy
The effect of Ta oxygen scavenger layer on HfO$_2$-based resistive switching behavior: thermodynamic stability, electronic structure, and low-bias transport
金属-氧化物-金属异质结构在高阻态和低阻态之间的可逆电阻切换使得它们在随机存取存储器中的应用非常有趣。虽然最近的实验工作已经表明，插入金属“氧清除剂层”之间的正极和氧化物改善器件的性能，清除剂层如何修改异质结构的性质的基本理解是缺乏的。我们用密度泛函理论计算了TiN/HfO $_2$ /TiN异质结构的热力学性质和电导。首先，我们表明，Ta插入降低低电阻态的形成能。其次，虽然Ta清除层通过改变氧化物-电极界面处的界面电荷来降低高电阻状态下的肖特基势垒高度，但异质结构保持高电阻状态与低电阻状态之间的高电阻比。最后，我们表明，在存在Ta层的情况下，器件导通状态的低偏置电导对从Hf O $_2$中去除的氧的空间分布变得不那么敏感。通过提供对所观察到的清除剂层改进的基本理解，我们开辟了一条利用氧清除剂层设计界面以控制和增强器件性能的途径。进而，这可以使得能够实现非易失性低功率存储器技术，同时减少消费电子产品的能量消耗并对社会产生显著的益处。
Ferroelectric van der Waals heterostructures provide a natural platform to design a variety of electrically controllable devices. In this work, we demonstrate that AB bilayer graphene encapsulated in MoTe$_2$ acts as a valley valve that displays a switchable built-in topological gap, leading to ferroelectrically driven topological channels. Using a combination of ab initio calculations and low energy models, we show that the ferroelectric order of MoTe$_2$ allows the control of the gap opening in bilayer graphene and leads to topological channels between different ferroelectric domains. Moreov…
Memory or transistor devices based on electron's spin rather than its charge degree of freedom offer certain distinct advantages and comprise a cornerstone of spintronics. Recent years have witnessed the emergence of a new field, valleytronics, which seeks to exploit electron's valley index rather than its spin. An important component in this quest would be the ability to control the valley index in a convenient fashion. Here we show that the valley polarization can be switched from zero to one by a small reduction in density, simply tuned by a gate bias, in a two-dimensional electron system. …
