Ferroelectric control of ferromagnetism in CrTeI/In2Se3 heterostructure: A first-principles study

Abstract

Ferromagnetic/ferroelectric heterostructures provide an effective avenue for designing new functional materials with novel properties by combining the advantages of different materials. In this context, we investigate systematically the structure, electronic properties, and ferromagnetism of CrTeI/In2Se3 heterostructures using the first-principles calculations. Through the incorporation of the ferroelectric In2Se3, we modulate the magnetocrystalline anisotropy, exchange interactions, Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, and other key magnetic parameters of the ferromagnetic CrTeI. Consequently, the easy magnetization direction can be reorientated from in-plane to out-of-plane by switching the electric polarization direction. The enhancement of ferromagnetic coupling and the weakening of antiferromagnetic coupling raise the Curie temperature significantly. Simultaneously, the modulation of the magnetic parameters refines the conditions for forming skyrmions in the heterostructures. The findings in this work hold reference value for understanding the ferroelectric control of ferromagnetism and benefit the applications of two dimensional magnetic materials in spintronics.