RESUMEN
Van der Waals (vdW) magnets are promising, because of their tunable magnetic properties with doping or alloy composition, where the strength of magnetic interactions, their symmetry, and magnetic anisotropy can be tuned according to the desired application. However, so far, most of the vdW magnet-based spintronic devices have been limited to cryogenic temperatures with magnetic anisotropies favoring out-of-plane or canted orientation of the magnetization. Here, we report beyond room-temperature lateral spin-valve devices with strong in-plane magnetization and spin polarization of the vdW ferromagnet (Co0.15Fe0.85)5GeTe2 (CFGT) in heterostructures with graphene. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that the magnitude of the anisotropy depends on the Co concentration and is caused by the substitution of Co in the outermost Fe layer. Magnetization measurements reveal the above room-temperature ferromagnetism in CFGT and clear remanence at room temperature. Heterostructures consisting of CFGT nanolayers and graphene were used to experimentally realize basic building blocks for spin valve devices, such as efficient spin injection and detection. Further analysis of spin transport and Hanle spin precession measurements reveals a strong in-plane magnetization with negative spin polarization at the interface with graphene, which is supported by the calculated spin-polarized density of states of CFGT. The in-plane magnetization of CFGT at room temperature proves its usefulness in graphene lateral spin-valve devices, thus revealing its potential application in spintronic technologies.
RESUMEN
The discovery of van der Waals (vdW) magnets opened a new paradigm for condensed matter physics and spintronic technologies. However, the operations of active spintronic devices with vdW ferromagnets are limited to cryogenic temperatures, inhibiting their broader practical applications. Here, the robust room-temperature operation of lateral spin-valve devices using the vdW itinerant ferromagnet Fe5 GeTe2 in heterostructures with graphene is demonstrated. The room-temperature spintronic properties of Fe5 GeTe2 are measured at the interface with graphene with a negative spin polarization. Lateral spin-valve and spin-precession measurements provide unique insights by probing the Fe5 GeTe2 /graphene interface spintronic properties via spin-dynamics measurements, revealing multidirectional spin polarization. Density functional theory calculations in conjunction with Monte Carlo simulations reveal significantly canted Fe magnetic moments in Fe5 GeTe2 along with the presence of negative spin polarization at the Fe5 GeTe2 /graphene interface. These findings open opportunities for vdW interface design and applications of vdW-magnet-based spintronic devices at ambient temperatures.