Magnetic proximity in a van der Waals heterostructure of magnetic insulator and graphene

Engineering 2D material heterostructures by combining the best of different materials in one ultimate unit can offer a plethora of opportunities in condensed matter physics. Here, in the van der Waals heterostructures of the ferromagnetic insulator Cr₂Ge₂Te₆ and graphene, our observations indicate an out-of-plane proximity-induced ferromagnetic exchange interaction in graphene. The perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of Cr₂Ge₂Te₆ results in significant modification of the spin transport and precession in graphene, which can be ascribed to the proximity-induced exchange interaction. Our results open up opportunities for the realization of proximity-induced magnetic interactions and spin filters in 2D material heterostructures and can form the basic building blocks for future spintronic and topological quantum devices.

Reference.
B. Karpiak et al., 2D Materials 7 (1), 015026 (2019).