Spin-Sensitive Epitaxial InSe Tunnel Barrier in InSe/BiSe Topological van der Waals Heterostructure.

Current-generated spin arising from spin-momentum locking in topological insulator (TI) surface states has been shown to switch the magnetization of an adjacent ferromagnet (FM) via spin-orbit torque (SOT) with a much higher efficiency than heavy metals. However, in such FM/TI heterostructures, most of the current is shunted through the FM metal due to its lower resistance, and recent calculations have also shown that topological surface states can be significantly impacted when interfaced with an FM metal such as Ni and Co. Hence, placing an insulating layer between the TI and FM will not only prevent current shunting, therefore minimizing overall power consumption, but may also help preserve the topological surface states at the interface.

Synthesis of High-Quality Monolayer MoS by Direct Liquid Injection.

We report the synthesis of high-quality single monolayer MoS samples using a novel technique that utilizes direct liquid injection (DLI) for the delivery of precursors. The DLI system vaporizes a liquid consisting of a selected precursor dissolved in a solvent into small, micron-sized droplets in an expansion chamber maintained at a selected temperature and pressure, before delivery to the deposition chamber. We demonstrate the synthesis of monolayer MoS on SiO/Si substrates using the DLI technique with film quality superior to exfoliated samples or those grown by traditional tube furnace chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods.

Room-Temperature Spin Filtering in Metallic Ferromagnet-Multilayer Graphene-Ferromagnet Junctions.

We report room-temperature negative magnetoresistance in ferromagnet-graphene-ferromagnet (FM|Gr|FM) junctions with minority spin polarization exceeding 80%, consistent with predictions of strong minority spin filtering. We fabricated arrays of such junctions via chemical vapor deposition of multilayer graphene on lattice-matched single-crystal NiFe(111) films and standard photolithographic patterning and etching techniques. The junctions exhibit metallic transport behavior, low resistance, and the negative magnetoresistance characteristic of a minority spin filter interface throughout the temperature range 10 to 300 K.

Graphene as a tunnel barrier: graphene-based magnetic tunnel junctions.

Graphene has been widely studied for its high in-plane charge carrier mobility and long spin diffusion lengths. In contrast, the out-of-plane charge and spin transport behavior of this atomically thin material have not been well addressed. We show here that while graphene exhibits metallic conductivity in-plane, it serves effectively as an insulator for transport perpendicular to the plane.