Spin valves with exfoliated 2D materials: MoS₂

In the last years 2D materials have attracted a huge attention for spintronics thanks to the amazing properties that arise when thickness approaches the single layer level and thanks to the large number of functionalities that they offer. The recent introduction of 2D materials in magnetic tunnel junctions (2D-MTJs) offers very promising properties such as atomically defined interfaces, spin filtering, perpendicular anisotropy and spin-orbit torques modulation. Nevertheless, the difficult integration of exfoliated 2D materials in spintronic devices has limited so far their exploration and performances, maintaining experimental results still far from theoretical expectations [1]. Here, we will show successful fabrication of NiFe/MoS₂/Co MTJs thanks to an in-situ fabrication process leading to the highest results reported so far for MTJs based on TMDCs 2D family [2]. Moreover, we will further discuss a path to alleviate fundamental technological and physics issues encountered for the integration of 2D-MTJs [2,3].

[1] (a) W. Wang et al, Nano Lett., 15, 5261, (2015); (b) A. Dankert et al., ACS Nano, 11, 6389, (2017). (c) K. Dolui et al., Phys. Rev. B, 90, (2014)
[2] M. Galbiati et al., P.R.Appl. 12, 044022, (2019).
[3] M. Galbiati et al., ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 10, 30017 (2018).