Magnetic-Proximity-Induced Efficient Charge-to-Spin Conversion in Large-Area PtSe2/Ni80Fe20 Heterostructures

As a topological Dirac semimetal with controllable spin-orbit coupling and conductivity, PtSe2, a transition-metal dichalcogenide, is a promising material for several applications, from optoelectrics to sensors. However, its potential for spintronics applications has yet to be explored. In this work, we demonstrate that the PtSe2/Ni80Fe20 heterostructure can generate large damping-like current-induced spin-orbit torques (SOT), despite the absence of spin-splitting in bulk PtSe2. The efficiency of charge-to-spin conversion is found to be -0.1 ± 0.02 nm-1 in PtSe2/Ni80Fe20, which is 3 times that of the control sample, Ni80Fe20/Pt. Our band structure calculations show that the SOT due to PtSe2 arises from an unexpectedly large spin splitting in the interfacial region of PtSe2 introduced by the proximity magnetic field of the Ni80Fe20 layer. Our results open up the possibilities of using large-area PtSe2 for energy-efficient nanoscale devices by utilizing proximity-induced SOT.

Large Spin-To-Charge Conversion at the Two-Dimensional Interface of Transition-Metal Dichalcogenides and Permalloy

Spin-to-charge conversion is an essential requirement for the implementation of spintronic devices. Recently, monolayers (MLs) of semiconducting transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted considerable interest for spin-to-charge conversion due to their high spin-orbit coupling and lack of inversion symmetry in their crystal structure. However, reports of direct measurement of spin-to-charge conversion at TMD-based interfaces are very much limited. Here, we report on the room-temperature observation of a large spin-to-charge conversion arising from the interface of Ni₈₀Fe₂₀ (Py) and four distinct large-area (∼5 × 2 mm²) ML TMDs, namely, MoS₂, MoSe₂, WS₂, and WSe₂. We show that both spin mixing conductance and the Rashba efficiency parameter (λ_IREE) scale with the spin-orbit coupling strength of the ML TMD layers. The λ_IREE parameter is found to range between -0.54 and -0.76 nm for the four ML TMDs, demonstrating a large spin-to-charge conversion. Our findings reveal that the TMD/ferromagnet interface can be used for efficient generation and detection of spin current, opening new opportunities for novel spintronic devices.

Spin Pumping through Different Spin-Orbit Coupling Interfaces in β-W/Interlayer/Co2FeAl Heterostructures

Spin pumping has been considered a powerful tool to manipulate the spin current in a ferromagnetic/nonmagnetic (FM/NM) system, where the NM part exhibits large spin-orbit coupling (SOC). In this work, the spin pumping in β-W/Interlayer (IL)/Co₂FeAl (CFA) heterostructures grown on Si(100) is systematically investigated with different ILs in which SOC strength ranges from weak to strong. We first measure the spin pumping through the enhancement of effective damping in CFA by varying the thickness of β-W. The damping enhancement in the bilayer of β-W/CFA (without IL) is found to be ∼50% larger than the Gilbert damping in a single CFA layer with a spin diffusion length and spin mixing conductance of 2.12 ± 0.27 nm and 13.17 ± 0.34 nm^-2, respectively. Further, the ILs of different SOC strengths such as Al, Mg, Mo, and Ta were inserted at the β-W/CFA interface to probe their impact on damping in β-W/ILs/CFA. The effective damping reduced to 8% and 20% for Al and Mg, respectively, whereas it increased to 66% and 75% with ILs of Mo and Ta, respectively, compared to the β-W/CFA heterostructure. Thus, in the presence of ILs with weak SOC, the spin pumping at the β-W/CFA interface is suppressed, while for the high SOC ILs effective damping increased significantly from its original value of β-W/CFA bilayer using a thin IL. This is further confirmed by performing inverse spin Hall effect measurements. In summary, the transfer of spin angular momentum can be significantly enhanced by choosing a proper ultrathin interface layer. Our study provides a tool to increase the spin current production by inserting an appropriate thin interlayer which is useful in modifying the heterostructure for efficient performance in spintronics devices.

Intrinsic anomalous Hall effect in thin films of topological kagome ferromagnet Fe3Sn2

Fe₃Sn₂, a kagome ferromagnet, is a potential quantum material with intriguing topological features. Despite substantial experimental work on the bulk single crystals, the thin film growth of Fe₃Sn₂ remains relatively unexplored. Here, we investigate the effect of two different seed layers (Ta and Pt) on the growth of Fe₃Sn₂ thin films. We demonstrate the growth of polycrystalline Fe₃Sn₂ thin films on Si/SiO₂ substrates by room temperature sputter deposition, followed by in situ annealing at 500 °C. Our structural and magnetic measurements indicate that a pure ferromagnetic phase is formed for the Pt/Fe₃Sn₂ thin films with higher saturation magnetization of M_s = 464 emu cc^-1, while a mixed-phase (consisting of ferromagnetic, Fe₃Sn₂ and antiferromagnetic, FeSn) is formed for the Ta/Fe₃Sn₂ thin films with a lower M_s of 240 emu cc^-1. The Pt/Fe₃Sn₂ thin films also exhibit an anomalous Hall coefficient, R_s ≈ 2.6 × 10^-10 Ω cm^-1 G^-1 at room temperature, which is two order of magnitude higher compared to 3d-transition metal ferromagnets. A non-zero temperature-independent anomalous Hall conductivity σintxy = (23 ± 11) Ω^-1 cm^-1 indicates an intrinsic mechanism of anomalous Hall effect originating from Berry curvature. These results are important for realizing novel topological spintronic devices on a CMOS-compatible substrate.