Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and spin dynamics measurements of MBE-grown ferromagnetic CrTe_1-_δ thin films

Thin film synthesis via molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) provides an efficient way for atomic-scale manipulation of crystal structures for transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and their intriguing physical properties in ultrathin films and heterostructures. The emergence of ferromagnetism in two-dimensional (2D) TMDs provides an important platform to understand ferromagnetism in the 2D limit and offers new opportunities in magnetism and spintronics. Here, we report the MBE synthesis of ferromagnetic TMD thin films of CrTe_1-δ. We use in vacuo angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to directly measure the band structure of these CrTe_1-δ thin films and compare the observations with first principles calculations. We also study the ferromagnetic properties of these films via SQUID magnetometry and transport measurements. We further discuss the possibility of using the CrTe_1-δ as a 2D ferromagnet in spin-torque assisted spintronics devices.