Probing the Spin Dimensionality in Single-Layer CrSBr Van Der Waals Heterostructures by Magneto-Transport Measurements.

Abstract

2D magnetic materials offer unprecedented opportunities for fundamental and applied research in spintronics and magnonics. Beyond the pioneering studies on 2D CrI3 and Cr2 Ge2 Te6 , the field has expanded to 2D antiferromagnets exhibiting different spin anisotropies and textures. Of particular interest is the layered metamagnet CrSBr, a relatively air-stable semiconductor formed by antiferromagnetically-coupled ferromagnetic layers (Tc ∼150 K) that can be exfoliated down to the single-layer. It presents a complex magnetic behavior with a dynamic magnetic crossover, exhibiting a low-temperature hidden-order below T*∼40 K. Here, the magneto-transport properties of CrSBr vertical heterostructures in the 2D limit are inspected. The results demonstrate the marked low-dimensional character of the ferromagnetic monolayer, with short-range correlations above Tc and an Ising-type in-plane anisotropy, being the spins spontaneously aligned along the easy axis b below Tc . By applying moderate magnetic fields along a and c axes, a spin-reorientation occurs, leading to a magnetoresistance enhancement below T*. In multilayers, a spin-valve behavior is observed, with negative magnetoresistance strongly enhanced along the three directions below T*. These results show that CrSBr monolayer/bilayer provides an ideal platform for studying and controlling field-induced phenomena in two-dimensions, offering new insights regarding 2D magnets and their integration into vertical spintronic devices.