Spin-Orbit Torques and Magnetization Switching in (Bi,Sb)Te/FeGeTe Heterostructures Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy.

Topological insulators (TIs) hold promise for manipulating the magnetization of a ferromagnet (FM) through the spin-orbit torque (SOT) mechanism. However, integrating TIs with conventional FMs often leads to significant device-to-device variations and a broad distribution of SOT magnitudes. In this work, we present a scalable approach to grow a full van der Waals FM/TI heterostructure by molecular beam epitaxy, combining the charge-compensated TI (Bi,Sb)Te with 2D FM FeGeTe (FGT).

Large-Area Synthesis of Ferromagnetic Fe GeTe /Graphene van der Waals Heterostructures with Curie Temperature above Room Temperature.

Van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures combining layered ferromagnets and other 2D crystals are promising building blocks for the realization of ultracompact devices with integrated magnetic, electronic, and optical functionalities. Their implementation in various technologies depends strongly on the development of a bottom-up scalable synthesis approach allowing for realizing highly uniform heterostructures with well-defined interfaces between different 2D-layered materials. It is also required that each material component of the heterostructure remains functional, which ideally includes ferromagnetic order above room temperature for 2D ferromagnets.

Experimental Demonstration of a Magnetically Induced Warping Transition in a Topological Insulator Mediated by Rare-Earth Surface Dopants.

Magnetic topological insulators constitute a novel class of materials whose topological surface states (TSSs) coexist with long-range ferromagnetic order, eventually breaking time-reversal symmetry. The subsequent bandgap opening is predicted to co-occur with a distortion of the TSS warped shape from hexagonal to trigonal. We demonstrate such a transition by means of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on the magnetically rare-earth (Er and Dy) surface-doped topological insulator BiSeTe.

Milliwatt terahertz harmonic generation from topological insulator metamaterials.

Achieving efficient, high-power harmonic generation in the terahertz spectral domain has technological applications, for example, in sixth generation (6G) communication networks. Massless Dirac fermions possess extremely large terahertz nonlinear susceptibilities and harmonic conversion efficiencies. However, the observed maximum generated harmonic power is limited, because of saturation effects at increasing incident powers, as shown recently for graphene.

Two-dimensional materials prospects for non-volatile spintronic memories.

Non-volatile magnetic random-access memories (MRAMs), such as spin-transfer torque MRAM and next-generation spin-orbit torque MRAM, are emerging as key to enabling low-power technologies, which are expected to spread over large markets from embedded memories to the Internet of Things. Concurrently, the development and performances of devices based on two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures bring ultracompact multilayer compounds with unprecedented material-engineering capabilities. Here we provide an overview of the current developments and challenges in regard to MRAM, and then outline the opportunities that can arise by incorporating two-dimensional material technologies.

Unraveling Heat Transport and Dissipation in Suspended MoSe from Bulk to Monolayer.

Understanding heat flow in layered transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) crystals is crucial for applications exploiting these materials. Despite significant efforts, several basic thermal transport properties of TMDs are currently not well understood, in particular how transport is affected by material thickness and the material's environment. This combined experimental-theoretical study establishes a unifying physical picture of the intrinsic lattice thermal conductivity of the representative TMD MoSe .

Van der Waals heterostructures for spintronics and opto-spintronics.

The large variety of 2D materials and their co-integration in van der Waals heterostructures enable innovative device engineering. In addition, their atomically thin nature promotes the design of artificial materials by proximity effects that originate from short-range interactions. Such a designer approach is particularly compelling for spintronics, which typically harnesses functionalities from thin layers of magnetic and non-magnetic materials and the interfaces between them.

Control of Spin-Orbit Torques by Interface Engineering in Topological Insulator Heterostructures.

(BiSb)Te topological insulators (TIs) are gathering increasing attention owing to their large charge-to-spin conversion efficiency and the ensuing spin-orbit torques (SOTs) that can be used to manipulate the magnetization of a ferromagnet (FM). The origin of the torques, however, remains elusive, while the implications of hybridized states and the strong material intermixing at the TI/FM interface are essentially unexplored. By combining interface chemical analysis and spin-transfer ferromagnetic resonance (ST-FMR) measurements, we demonstrate that intermixing plays a critical role in the generation of SOTs.

Molecular Approach for Engineering Interfacial Interactions in Magnetic/Topological Insulator Heterostructures.

Controlling interfacial interactions in magnetic/topological insulator heterostructures is a major challenge for the emergence of novel spin-dependent electronic phenomena. As for any rational design of heterostructures that rely on proximity effects, one should ideally retain the overall properties of each component while tuning interactions at the interface. However, in most inorganic interfaces, interactions are too strong, consequently perturbing, and even quenching, both the magnetic moment and the topological surface states at each side of the interface.

Tunable room-temperature spin galvanic and spin Hall effects in van der Waals heterostructures.

Spin-orbit coupling stands as a powerful tool to interconvert charge and spin currents and to manipulate the magnetization of magnetic materials through spin-torque phenomena. However, despite the diversity of existing bulk materials and the recent advent of interfacial and low-dimensional effects, control of this interconversion at room temperature remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate strongly enhanced room-temperature spin-to-charge interconversion in graphene driven by the proximity of WS.

Bottom-up synthesis of multifunctional nanoporous graphene.

Nanosize pores can turn semimetallic graphene into a semiconductor and, from being impermeable, into the most efficient molecular-sieve membrane. However, scaling the pores down to the nanometer, while fulfilling the tight structural constraints imposed by applications, represents an enormous challenge for present top-down strategies. Here we report a bottom-up method to synthesize nanoporous graphene comprising an ordered array of pores separated by ribbons, which can be tuned down to the 1-nanometer range.

Impact of the rise in hydrogen partial pressure on graphene shape evolution during CVD growth of graphene.

Exposing graphene to a hydrogen post-etching process yields dendritic graphene shapes. Here, we demonstrate that similar dendritic structures can be achieved at long growth times without adding hydrogen externally. These shapes are not a result of a surface diffusion controlled growth but of the competing backward reaction (etching), which dominates the growth dynamics at long times due to an rise in the hydrogen partial pressure.

Thermoelectric spin voltage in graphene.

In recent years, new spin-dependent thermal effects have been discovered in ferromagnets, stimulating a growing interest in spin caloritronics, a field that exploits the interaction between spin and heat currents . Amongst the most intriguing phenomena is the spin Seebeck effect , in which a thermal gradient gives rise to spin currents that are detected through the inverse spin Hall effect . Non-magnetic materials such as graphene are also relevant for spin caloritronics, thanks to efficient spin transport , energy-dependent carrier mobility and unique density of states .

Determination of the spin-lifetime anisotropy in graphene using oblique spin precession.

We determine the spin-lifetime anisotropy of spin-polarized carriers in graphene. In contrast to prior approaches, our method does not require large out-of-plane magnetic fields and thus it is reliable for both low- and high-carrier densities. We first determine the in-plane spin lifetime by conventional spin precession measurements with magnetic fields perpendicular to the graphene plane.

Hot-Carrier Seebeck Effect: Diffusion and Remote Detection of Hot Carriers in Graphene.

We investigate hot carrier propagation across graphene using an electrical nonlocal injection/detection method. The device consists of a monolayer graphene flake contacted by multiple metal leads. Using two remote leads for electrical heating, we generate a carrier temperature gradient that results in a measurable thermoelectric voltage V(NL) across the remaining (detector) leads.

Electrical detection of spin precession in freely suspended graphene spin valves on cross-linked poly(methyl methacrylate).

Spin injection and detection is achieved in freely suspended graphene using cobalt electrodes and a nonlocal spin-valve geometry. The devices are fabricated with a single electron-beam-resist poly(methyl methacrylate) process that minimizes both the fabrication steps and the number of (aggressive) chemicals used, greatly reducing contamination and increasing the yield of high-quality, mechanically stable devices. As-grown devices can present mobilities exceeding 10(4) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) at room temperature and, because the contacts deposited on graphene are only exposed to acetone and isopropanol, the method is compatible with almost any contacting material.

Magnon-drag thermopile.

Thermoelectric effects in spintronics are gathering increasing attention as a means of managing heat in nanoscale structures and of controlling spin information by using heat flow. Thermal magnons (spin-wave quanta) are expected to play a major role; however, little is known about the underlying physical mechanisms involved. The reason is the lack of information about magnon interactions and of reliable methods to obtain it, in particular for electrical conductors because of the intricate influence of electrons.

Experimental spin ratchet.

Spintronics relies on the ability to transport and use the spin properties of an electron rather than its charge. We describe a spin ratchet at the single-electron level that produces spin currents with no net bias or charge transport. Our device is based on the ground-state energetics of a single-electron transistor comprising a superconducting island connected to normal leads via tunnel barriers with different resistances that break spatial symmetry.

Amplitude spectroscopy of a solid-state artificial atom.

The energy-level structure of a quantum system, which has a fundamental role in its behaviour, can be observed as discrete lines and features in absorption and emission spectra. Conventionally, spectra are measured using frequency spectroscopy, whereby the frequency of a harmonic electromagnetic driving field is tuned into resonance with a particular separation between energy levels. Although this technique has been successfully employed in a variety of physical systems, including natural and artificial atoms and molecules, its application is not universally straightforward and becomes extremely challenging for frequencies in the range of tens to hundreds of gigahertz.

Microwave-induced cooling of a superconducting qubit.

We demonstrated microwave-induced cooling in a superconducting flux qubit. The thermal population in the first-excited state of the qubit is driven to a higher-excited state by way of a sideband transition. Subsequent relaxation into the ground state results in cooling.