Abstract
The promise of high-density and low-energy-consumption devices motivates the search for layered structures that stabilize chiral spin textures such as topologically protected skyrmions. At the same time, recently discovered long-range intrinsic magnetic orders in the two-dimensional van der Waals materials provide a new platform for the discovery of novel physics and effects. Here we demonstrate the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction and Néel-type skyrmions are induced at the WTe2/Fe3GeTe2 interface. Transport measurements show the topological Hall effect in this heterostructure for temperatures below 100 K. Furthermore, Lorentz transmission electron microscopy is used to directly image Néel-type skyrmion lattice and the stripe-like magnetic domain structures as well. The interfacial coupling induced Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction is estimated to have a large energy of 1.0 mJ m−2. This work paves a path towards the skyrmionic devices based on van der Waals layered heterostructures.
Highlights
The promise of high-density and low-energy-consumption devices motivates the search for layered structures that stabilize chiral spin textures such as topologically protected skyrmions
Whereas skyrmions from Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (DMI) become significant in the heavy metals/ferromagnet systems[26,27,28], there have been no direct observations of skyrmions in van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures, even though the topological Hall effect has been reported in Cr-doped topological insulator (TI)/TI29 and Mndoped TI systems[30]
A large DMI energy of 1.0 mJ m−2 has been determined in this system and the formation of Néel-type skyrmions has been captured with Lorentz transmission electron microscopy (L-TEM)
Summary
The promise of high-density and low-energy-consumption devices motivates the search for layered structures that stabilize chiral spin textures such as topologically protected skyrmions. This work paves a path towards the skyrmionic devices based on van der Waals layered heterostructures. Thin, layered van der Waals (vdW) materials have been experimentally shown to host long-range magnetic orders recently[1,2], which could push the magnetic memory and information storage to the atomically thin limit and lead to ultra-compact next-generation spintronics[3,4]. Whereas skyrmions from DMI become significant in the heavy metals/ferromagnet systems[26,27,28], there have been no direct observations of skyrmions in vdW heterostructures, even though the topological Hall effect has been reported in Cr-doped topological insulator (TI)/TI29 and Mndoped TI systems[30]. We have observed the topological Hall effect in WTe2/FGT vdW heterostructures from transport measurements. This work helps promote 2D materials for ultra-compact spintronic devices
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