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H2020Individual fellowship2018–2020

SOT-2DvdW · Spin-Orbit Torque in 2D van der Waals Heterostructures

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2018-07-18 → 2020-07-17
EU contribution
€177,599
Participants
1
Scheme
MSCA-IF-EF-ST

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Spin-Orbit Torque in 2D van der Waals Heterostructures

Most of the electronic devices (processors and memories) inside mobile phones, computers, laptops, etc., are fabricated by stacking different kinds of materials: semiconductors, insulators, and metals. The interface between these materials is a very important region where crystal defects, impurities, and charges accumulate leading to unwanted effects and reducing the performance of these devices. This problem has been eventually overcome thanks to the discovery of two-dimensional materials such as Graphene. In bulk (3D), Graphene layers stack on top of each other like a sandwich forming Graphite. The forces that keep these layers together are so weak that allow them to be exfoliated from the bulk and be transferred to the top of another material. The catalog of layered materials has grown enormously in the last few years, and now it is possible to combine 2D materials showing not only conducting or insulating properties but also very exotic properties such as superconductivity, magnetism, non-trivial topology, etc. This project aims to study the microscopic effects taking place at the interface between these materials where different properties combine leading to novel physical phenomena. More specifically, we want to understand better the interface between 2D magnets and 2D semiconductors with strong spin-orbit coupling. These materials are at the heart of a novel way of spin manipulation called spin-orbit torque which may allow the fabrication of high-performance low-consumption magnetic random-access memories (MRAM).

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

This Marie-Curie proposal aims to study the mechanisms governing spin-orbit torque in 2D ferromagnetic materials attached to topological insulators. It also proposes a new method to detect the magnetization dynamics of the 2D ferromagnet by using photoluminescence. This is done by measuring the valley splitting induced by exchange proximity effect on a transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) semiconductor monolayer deposited, or grown, on top of the 2D ferromagnet. I propose first to study the different heterostructures involved, namely 2D ferromagnet/TMD monolayer and 2D ferromagnet/topological insulator, using density functional theory (DFT) in order to get some insight on the electronic structures at the interface between these materials and the different physical phenomena that may take place at these interfaces. This DFT calculations will also help to detect those pairs 2D ferromagnet/TMD monolayer leading to a higher valley splitting which translates into a stronger optical response and clearer peak splitting in the photoluminescence spectra. Second, I propose to use Hamiltonians based on these DFT calculations and non-equilibrium Green’s function formalism to study the torques induced in the 2D ferromagnet after charge injection into the topological insulator. For this, I plan to implement the calculation of field-like and damping-like torques within a previously developed NEGF code. With this proposal, I expect to provide society and researchers with a new methodology which will help to develop new storage devices using 2D materials and other van der Waals materials, which are at the forefront of next generation nano-devices.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • STICHTING RADBOUD UNIVERSITEIT · NijmegenCoordinatorNetherlands

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union