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Title: Néel-type skyrmion in WTe2/Fe3GeTe2 van der Waals heterostructure

Abstract

The promise of high-density and low-energy-consumption devices motivates the search for layered structures that stabilize chiral spin textures such as topologically protected skyrmions. At the same time, recently discovered long-range intrinsic magnetic orders in the two-dimensional van der Waals materials provide a new platform for the discovery of novel physics and effects. Here we demonstrate the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction and Néel-type skyrmions are induced at the WTe2/Fe3GeTe2 interface. Transport measurements show the topological Hall effect in this heterostructure for temperatures below 100 K. Furthermore, Lorentz transmission electron microscopy is used to directly image Néel-type skyrmion lattice and the stripe-like magnetic domain structures as well. The interfacial coupling induced Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction is estimated to have a large energy of 1.0 mJ m–2. This work paves a path towards the skyrmionic devices based on van der Waals layered heterostructures.

Authors:
 [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [2];  [3];  [4]; ORCiD logo [5]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [6];  [6]; ORCiD logo [6];  [1];  [7];  [7];  [8]; ORCiD logo [4]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
  2. King Abdullah Univ. of Science and Technology, Thuwal (Saudi Arabia)
  3. Nanjing Tech Univ. (China)
  4. Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)
  5. Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR (United States)
  6. Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China)
  7. National Inst. for Materials Science, Tsukuba (Japan)
  8. Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (United States); Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Spins and Heat in Nanoscale Electronic Systems (SHINES); Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division; US Army Research Office (ARO); National Science Foundation (NSF)
OSTI Identifier:
1784965
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1868533
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0020221; SC0019068; W911NF-15-1-10561; 1935362; 1909416; SC0012670; OSR-2016-CRG5-2977
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Nature Communications
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 11; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
42 ENGINEERING; Electronic and spintronic devices; Electronic devices; Spintronics

Citation Formats

Wu, Yingying, Zhang, Senfu, Zhang, Junwei, Wang, Wei, Zhu, Yang Lin, Hu, Jin, Yin, Gen, Wong, Kin, Fang, Chi, Wan, Caihua, Han, Xiufeng, Shao, Qiming, Taniguchi, Takashi, Watanabe, Kenji, Zang, Jiadong, Mao, Zhiqiang, Zhang, Xixiang, and Wang, Kang L. Néel-type skyrmion in WTe2/Fe3GeTe2 van der Waals heterostructure. United States: N. p., 2020. Web. doi:10.1038/s41467-020-17566-x.
Wu, Yingying, Zhang, Senfu, Zhang, Junwei, Wang, Wei, Zhu, Yang Lin, Hu, Jin, Yin, Gen, Wong, Kin, Fang, Chi, Wan, Caihua, Han, Xiufeng, Shao, Qiming, Taniguchi, Takashi, Watanabe, Kenji, Zang, Jiadong, Mao, Zhiqiang, Zhang, Xixiang, & Wang, Kang L. Néel-type skyrmion in WTe2/Fe3GeTe2 van der Waals heterostructure. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17566-x
Wu, Yingying, Zhang, Senfu, Zhang, Junwei, Wang, Wei, Zhu, Yang Lin, Hu, Jin, Yin, Gen, Wong, Kin, Fang, Chi, Wan, Caihua, Han, Xiufeng, Shao, Qiming, Taniguchi, Takashi, Watanabe, Kenji, Zang, Jiadong, Mao, Zhiqiang, Zhang, Xixiang, and Wang, Kang L. Fri . "Néel-type skyrmion in WTe2/Fe3GeTe2 van der Waals heterostructure". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17566-x. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1784965.
@article{osti_1784965,
title = {Néel-type skyrmion in WTe2/Fe3GeTe2 van der Waals heterostructure},
author = {Wu, Yingying and Zhang, Senfu and Zhang, Junwei and Wang, Wei and Zhu, Yang Lin and Hu, Jin and Yin, Gen and Wong, Kin and Fang, Chi and Wan, Caihua and Han, Xiufeng and Shao, Qiming and Taniguchi, Takashi and Watanabe, Kenji and Zang, Jiadong and Mao, Zhiqiang and Zhang, Xixiang and Wang, Kang L.},
abstractNote = {The promise of high-density and low-energy-consumption devices motivates the search for layered structures that stabilize chiral spin textures such as topologically protected skyrmions. At the same time, recently discovered long-range intrinsic magnetic orders in the two-dimensional van der Waals materials provide a new platform for the discovery of novel physics and effects. Here we demonstrate the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction and Néel-type skyrmions are induced at the WTe2/Fe3GeTe2 interface. Transport measurements show the topological Hall effect in this heterostructure for temperatures below 100 K. Furthermore, Lorentz transmission electron microscopy is used to directly image Néel-type skyrmion lattice and the stripe-like magnetic domain structures as well. The interfacial coupling induced Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction is estimated to have a large energy of 1.0 mJ m–2. This work paves a path towards the skyrmionic devices based on van der Waals layered heterostructures.},
doi = {10.1038/s41467-020-17566-x},
journal = {Nature Communications},
number = 1,
volume = 11,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jul 31 00:00:00 EDT 2020},
month = {Fri Jul 31 00:00:00 EDT 2020}
}

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