Van der Waals lattice-induced colossal magnetoresistance in Cr₂Ge₂Te₆ thin flakes

Recent discovery of two-dimensional (2D) magnets with van der Waals (vdW) gapped layered structure prospers the fundamental research of magnetism and advances the miniaturization of spintronics. Due to their unique lattice anisotropy, their band structure has the potential to be dramatically modulated by the spin configuration even in thin flakes, which is still unexplored. Here, we demonstrate the vdW lattice-induced spin modulation of band structure in thin flakes of vdW semiconductor Cr₂Ge₂Te₆ (CGT) through the measurement of magnetoresistance (MR). The significant anisotropic lattice constructed by the interlayer vdW force and intralayer covalent bond induces anisotropic spin-orbit field, resulting in the spin orientation-dependent band splitting. Consequently, giant variation of resistance is induced between the magnetization aligned along in-plane and out-of-plane directions. Based on this, a colossal MR beyond 1000% was realized in lateral nonlocal devices with CGT acting as a magneto switch. Our finding provides a unique feature for the vdW magnets and would advance its applications in spintronics.