High-Temperature Anomalous Hall Effect in a Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Ferromagnetic Insulator Heterostructure

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Spintronics

Background:

• Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are promising materials for electronics and spintronics.
• Integrating TMDs with ferromagnetic materials (FM) can lead to novel physical phenomena.
• The anomalous Hall effect (AHE) is a key phenomenon for spintronic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate high-temperature anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in a TMD material.
• To investigate the physics of TMDs integrated with ferromagnetic insulators.
• To explore potential applications in spintronic devices.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a heterostructure by depositing ZrTe2 thin film on Y3Fe5O12 (YIG).
• Characterization of the heterostructure, including interface analysis.
• Measurement of the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) at various temperatures.

Main Results:

• Significant AHE observed in ZrTe2 up to 400 K, a record high for TMDs.
• The observed AHE magnitude (R_AHE) is over an order of magnitude larger than in previous studies.
• An complex interface with ZrO2 and amorphous YIG layers was identified between ZrTe2 and YIG.
• Magnetization at the interface, involving ZrO2 and YIG, is crucial for the high-temperature AHE.

Conclusions:

• The ZrTe2/YIG heterostructure exhibits a high-temperature AHE, paving the way for room-temperature spintronic devices.
• Interfacial effects, including induced magnetism, play a critical role in achieving high-temperature AHE in TMDs.
• This work provides insights into designing strategies for introducing magnetism into TMDs at room temperature.