Prediction of giant and ideal Rashba-type splitting in ordered alloy monolayers grown on a polar surface

National Science Review ◽

10.1093/nsr/nwaa241 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Mingxing Chen ◽

Feng Liu

Keyword(s):

Majorana Fermions ◽

Spin Orbit ◽

First Principles Calculations ◽

Surface Alloying ◽

Orbit Splitting ◽

Polar Surface ◽

Spintronic Devices ◽

Spin Orbit Splitting ◽

Low Dimensional ◽

Low Dimensional Materials

Abstract A large and ideal Rashba-type spin-orbit splitting is desired for the applications of materials in spintronic devices and the detection of Majorana Fermions in solids. Here, we propose an approach to achieve giant and ideal spin-orbit splittings through a combination of ordered surface alloying and interface engineering, that is, growing alloy monolayers on an insulating polar surface. We illustrate this unique strategy by means of first-principles calculations of buckled hexagonal monolayers of SbBi and PbBi supported on Al2O3(0001). Both systems display ideal Rashba-type states with giant SO splittings, characterized with energy offsets over 600 meV and momentum offsets over 0.3 Å −1, respectively. Our study thus points to an effective way of tuning spin-orbit splitting in low-dimensional materials to draw immediate experimental interest.

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Strong enhancement of spin–orbit splitting induced by σ–π coupling in Pb-decorated silicene

RSC Advances ◽

10.1039/c6ra28011k ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (19) ◽

pp. 11761-11767 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tongwei Li ◽

Xiangying Su ◽

Haisheng Li ◽

Weiwei Ju

Keyword(s):

Electronic Properties ◽

First Principles ◽

Spin Orbit ◽

First Principles Calculations ◽

Orbit Splitting ◽

Strong Enhancement ◽

Spin Orbit Splitting

Electronic properties and spin–orbit (SO) splitting of silicene adsorbed with Cu, Ag, Au and Pb atoms at different coverages are investigated by means of first-principles calculations.

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Current-driven magnetization switching in a van der Waals ferromagnet Fe3GeTe2

Science Advances ◽

10.1126/sciadv.aaw8904 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (8) ◽

pp. eaaw8904 ◽

Cited By ~ 49

Author(s):

Xiao Wang ◽

Jian Tang ◽

Xiuxin Xia ◽

Congli He ◽

Junwei Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Fields ◽

Van Der Waals ◽

The Other ◽

Bilayer Structure ◽

Spin Orbit ◽

Two Dimensional ◽

Magnetization Switching ◽

Spintronic Devices ◽

Low Dimensional ◽

Low Dimensional Materials

The recent discovery of ferromagnetism in two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) materials holds promises for spintronic devices with exceptional properties. However, to use 2D vdW magnets for building spintronic nanodevices such as magnetic memories, key challenges remain in terms of effectively switching the magnetization from one state to the other electrically. Here, we devise a bilayer structure of Fe3GeTe2/Pt, in which the magnetization of few-layered Fe3GeTe2 can be effectively switched by the spin-orbit torques (SOTs) originated from the current flowing in the Pt layer. The effective magnetic fields corresponding to the SOTs are further quantitatively characterized using harmonic measurements. Our demonstration of the SOT-driven magnetization switching in a 2D vdW magnet could pave the way for implementing low-dimensional materials in the next-generation spintronic applications.

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