Deposition of Magnetic 2D Materials

Deposition of Magnetic 2D Materials

PROJECT NUMBER: 86 | AUTHOR: Paul Slayback​, Physics

MENTOR: Serena Eley, Physics

ABSTRACT

Skyrmions are nanoscale whirlpools of magnetic moments that arise in certain magnetic materials due to interactions between neighboring atomic spins (spin-orbit coupling). Behaving as particles that can be controllably manipulated, skyrmions are potentially useful as information carriers in next-generation low-energy spintronic devices. Notably, they were recently observed in Fe3GeTe2 (FGT), a 2D van der Waals (vdW) ferromagnet. This is exciting because vdW materials are of interest for devices owing to their readily tunable electronic properties and for fundamental studies of low dimensional long-range magnetic order. To enable studies of skyrmion dynamics in FGT heterostructures, we first built a system that allows us to deterministically place air sensitive 2D vdW materials onto substrates, an integral step in nanofabrication of vdW devices for electrical transport measurements. This new capability is transformative for the Eley laboratory, providing access to the field of 2D quantum materials physics. Additionally, we grew and magnetically characterized bulk FGT single crystals, determining a Curie temperature TC ≈ 220 K. Lastly, we are developing fabrication recipes to photolithographically pattern electrical contacts onto FGT for subsequent electrical transport studies of skyrmion formation and dynamics.

PRESENTATION

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Paul Slayback is a sophomore in Engineering Physics. He started doing research at Mines his freshman year in the Materials and Metallurgical Engineering department but is now in doing research in the Physics department under Dr. Eley. Most of his research so far has been in developing instrumentation to make research more efficient or add a capability to a lab. Now Paul is studying Iron Germanium Telluride, a 2D magnetic material that is of interest for low-energy spintronic devices. Spintronics and quantum devices has captured Paul’s curiosity and he hopes to continue to conduct research in that area.