Spintronics in Two-Dimensional Materials

Spintronics,exploiting the spin degree of electrons as the information vector,is an attractive field for implementing the beyond Complemetary metal-oxide-semiconductor(CMOS)devices.Recently,two-dimensional(2D)materials have been drawing tremendous attention in spintronics owing to their distinctive spin-dependent properties,such as the ultralong spin relaxation time of graphene and the spin-valley locking of transition metal dichalcogenides.Moreover,the related heterostructures provide an unprecedented probability of combining the di erent characteristics via proximity e ect,which could remedy the limitation of individual 2D materials.Hence,the proximity engineering has been growing extremely fast and has made significant achievements in the spin injection and manipulation.Nevertheless,there are still challenges toward practical application;for example,the mechanism of spin relaxation in 2D materials is unclear,and the high-effciency spin gating is not yet achieved.In this review,we focus on 2D materials and related heterostructures to systematically summarize the progress of the spin injection,transport,manipulation,and application for information storage and processing.We also highlight the current challenges and future perspectives on the studies of spintronic devices based on 2D materials.

Perspectives on exfoliated two-dimensional spintronics

Magnetic orderings, i.e., the spontaneous alignment of electron spins below a critical temperature, have been playing key roles in modern science and technologies for both the wide applications of magnetic recording for information storage and the vibrant potential of solid state electronic spin devices (also known as spintronics) for logic operations. In the past decades, thanks to the development of thin film technologies, magnetic thin films via sputtering or epitaxial growth have made the spintronic devices possible at the industrial scale. Yet thinner materials at lower costs with more versatile functionalities are highly desirable for advancing future spintronics. Recently, van der Waals magnetic materials, a family of magnets that can in principle be exfoliated down to the monolayer limit, seem to have brought tremendous opportunities: new generation van der Waals spintronic devices can be seamlessly assembled with possible applications such as optoelectronics, flexible electronics, and etc. Moreover, those exfoliated spintronic devices can potentially be compatible with the famed metal-oxide field effect transistor architectures, allowing the harness of spin performances through the knob of an electrostatic field.

Artificial neuron and synapse in spintronics devices

Neuromorphic computing is the development of computingschemes inspired by the processing of information in thebrain, which can execute complex tasks very efficiently usingan architecture that is completely different from that of semiconductorchips. Recently, researchers from Tohoku Universityhave realized an artificial neuron and synapse in spintronicsdevices, which are promising for future energy-efficientand adoptive computing systems, as they behave likethe spiking neural network in human brains.

Spinterface:A new platform for spintronics

Since its discovery in early 2000’s Molecular Spintronics has developed in an established and fructuous research field,achieving a number of outstanding results and unveiling unusual spintronic properties.Typically the most mysterious device element,the interface,in molecular spintronics has on contrary received and enormous attention and even gained a special nickname–the spinterface.Based on significant efforts of many research groups worldwide it has been established its critical role in defining the main functionalities of molecular spintronic devices.Noteworthily the spinterface was found to control the properties of the both components constituting the interface,not only those of the molecular layer but surprisingly also those of the magnetic counterpart.This paper aims to overview the most striking spinterface properties and to highlight the possibilities to promote new device paradigms based on interfacial modulation.

Spin-dependent balance equations in spintronics

It is commonly known that the hydrodynamic equations can be derived from the Boltzmann equation. In this paper, we derive similar spin-dependent balance equations based on the spinor Boltzmann equation. Besides the usual charge current, heat current, and pressure tensor, we also explore the characteristic spin accumulation and spin current as well as the spin-dependent pressure tensor and heat current in spintronics. The numerical results of these physical quantities are demonstrated using an example of spin-polarized transport through a mesoscopic ferromagnet.

Progress in organic spintronics

Recent progress in organic spintronics is given an informative overview, covering spin injection, detection, and trans-port in organic spin valve devices, and the magnetic field effect in organic semiconductors （OSCs）. In particular, we focus on our own recent work in spin injection and the organic magnetic field effect （OMFE）.

Reactively sputtered Fe_3 O_4 -based films for spintronics

Half metallic polycrystalline, epitaxial Fe3O4 films and Fe3O4 -based heterostructures for spintronics were fabricated by DC reactive magnetron sputtering. Large tunneling magnetoresistance was found in the polycrystalline Fe3O4 films and attributed to the insulating grain boundaries. The pinning effect of the moments at the grain boundaries leads to a significant exchange bias. Frozen interfacial/surface moments induce weak saturation of the high-field magnetoresistance. The films show a moment rotation related butterfly-shaped magnetoresistance. It was found that in the films, natural growth defects, antiphase boundaries, and magnetocrystalline anisotropy play important roles in high-order anisotropic magnetoresistance. Spin injection from Fe3O4 films to semiconductive Si and ZnO was measured to be 45% and 28.5%, respectively. The positive magnetoresistance in the Fe3O4 -based heterostructures is considered to be caused by a shift of the Fe3O4 e g ↑ band near the interface. Enhanced magnetization was observed in Fe3O4 /BiFeO 3 heterostructures experimentally and further proved by first principle calculations. The enhanced magnetization can be explained by spin moments of the thin BiFeO 3 layer substantially reversing into a ferromagnetic arrangement under a strong coupling that is principally induced by electronic orbital reconstruction at the interface.

Materials for Spintronics: Magnetic and Transport Properties of Ultrathin (Monolayer Graphene)/MnO(001) and MnO(001) Films

Results of investigations of band structure, Fermi surface and effective masses of charge carriers in the ultrathin (monolayer graphene)/MnO(001) and MnO(001) films are presented using the method of the density functional theory. Features of spin states of valence band and Fermi level as well as an interatomic interaction in these systems are discussed. A magnetic moment at Mn atom is estimated and an effect of spin polarization at atoms of oxygen and carbon has been revealed which natures are discussed. By calculations of structural energies for 2D (monolayer graphene)/MnO(001) and 2D MnO(001) a stability of these systems has been ascertained. In the 2D (monolayer graphene)/MnO(001) and 2D MnO(001) systems the band structure calculations for the 2D systems mentioned above point out that tensor components of effective masses of both electrons and holes are in the ranges of (0.15 - 0.54) m0 and (0.38 - 1.27) m0 respectively. Mobility estimations of two-dimensional charge carriers for a 2D (monolayer graphene)/MnO(001)AF2 heterostructure have been performed.

Silicene spintronics——A concise review

Spintronics involves the study of active control and manipulation of spin degrees of freedom in solid-state systems. The fascinating spin-resolved properties of graphene motivate numerous researchers to study spintronics in graphene and other two-dimensional(2D) materials. Silicene, the silicon analog of graphene, is considered to be a promising material for spintronics. Here, we present a review of theoretical advances with regard to spin-dependent properties, including the electric field- and exchange field-tunable topological properties of silicene and the corresponding spintronic device simulations.

Challenges and Prospects of Molecular Spintronics

Molecular spintronics,as an emerging field that makes full use of the advantage of ultralong room-temperature spin lifetime and abundant electrical-optical-magnetic properties of molecular semiconductors,has gained wide attention for its great potential for further commercial applications.Despite the significant progress that has been made,there remain several huge challenges that limit the future development of this field.This Perspective provides discussions on the spin transport mechanisms and performances of molecular semiconductors,spinterface effect,and related spin injection in spintronic devices,and current spin-charge interactive functionalities,along with the summarization of the main obstacles of these aspects.Furthermore,we particularly propose targeted solutions,aiming to enhance the spin injection and transport efficiency by molecular design and interface engineering and explore diverse spinrelated functionalities.Through this Perspective,we hope it will help the spintronic community identify the research trends and accelerate the development of molecular spintronics.

First-Principles Calculations on Novel Rb-Based Halide Double Perovskites Alloys for Spintronics and Optoelectronic Applications

The outcomes of computational study of electronic, magnetic and optical spectra for A2BX6 (A = Rb;B = Tc, Pb, Pt, Sn, W, Ir, Ta, Sb, Te, Se, Mo, Mn, Ti, Zr and X = Cl, Br) materials have been proceeded utilizing Vanderbilt Ultra Soft Pseudo Potential (US-PP) process. The Rb2PbBr6 and Rb2PbCl6 are found to be a (Г-Г) semiconductors with energy gaps of 0.275 and 1.142 eV, respectively making them promising photovoltaic materials. The metallic behavior of the materials for Rb2BX6 (B = Tc, W, Ir, Ta, Mn, Sb, Mo) has been confirmed showing the attendance of conducting lineaments. The dielectric function is found to be large close to the ultraviolet districts (3.10 - 4.13 eV). The extinction coefficient of the Rb2BX6 has the ability to be used for implements. The band structures and density of states ensure the magnetic semiconductors’ nature of the Rb2Mn (Cl, Br)6 perovskites. The total calculated magnetic moment of Rb2MnCl6 and Rb2MnB6 is 3.00μβ. Advanced spintronic technology requires room-temperature ferromagnetism. The present work confirms that, bromine and chlorine-founded double perovskites are extremely attractive for photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices.

Anisotropic spin transport and photoresponse characteristics detected by tip movement in magnetic single-molecule junction

Orientation-dependent transport properties induced by anisotropic molecules are enticing in single-molecule junctions.Here,using the first-principles method,we theoretically investigate spin transport properties and photoresponse characteristics in trimesic acid magnetic single-molecule junctions with different molecular adsorption orientations and electrode contact sites.The transport calculations indicate that a single-molecule switch and a significant enhancement of spin transport and photoresponse can be achieved when the molecular adsorption orientation changes from planar geometry to upright geometry.The maximum spin polarization of current and photocurrent in upright molecular junctions exceeds 90%.Moreover,as the Ni tip electrode moves,the tunneling magnetoresistance of upright molecular junctions can be increased to 70%.The analysis of the spin-dependent PDOS elucidates that the spinterfaces between organic molecule and ferromagnetic electrodes are modulated by molecular adsorption orientation,where the molecule in upright molecular junctions yields higher spin polarization.Our theoretical work paves the way for designing spintronic devices and optoelectronic devices with anisotropic functionality base on anisotropic molecules.

Gate-field control of valley polarization in valleytronics

Valleytronics materials are a kind of special semiconductors which can host multiple symmetry-connected and wellseparated electron or hole pockets in the Brillouin zone when the system is slightly n or p doped. Since the low-energy particles residing in these pockets generally are not easily scattered to each other by small perturbations, they are endowed with an additional valley degree of freedom. Analogous to spin, the valley freedom can be used to process information,leading to the concept of valleytronics. The prerequisite for valleytronics is the generation of valley polarization. Thus,a focus in this field is achieving the electric generation of valley polarization, especially the static generation by the gate electric field alone. In this work, we briefly review the latest progress in this research direction, focusing on the concepts of the couplings between valley and layer, i.e., the valley–layer coupling which permits the gate-field control of the valley polarization, the couplings between valley, layer, and spin in magnetic systems, the physical properties, the novel designing schemes for electronic devices, and the material realizations of the gate-controlled valleytronics materials.

Noncollinear spintronics and electric-field control:a review

Our world is composed of various materials with different structures,where spin structures have been playing a pivotal role in spintronic devices of the contemporary information technology.Apart from conventional collinear spin materials such as collinear ferromagnets and collinear antiferromagnetic ally coupled materials,noncollinear spintronic materials have emerged as hot spots of research attention due to exotic physical phenomena.In this review,we first introduce two types of noncollinear spin structures,i.e.,the chiral spin structure that yields real-space Berry phases and the coplanar noncollinear spin structure that could generate momentum-space Berry phases,and then move to relevant novel physical phenomena including topological Hall effect,anomalous Hall effect,multiferroic,Weyl fermions,spin-polarized current and spin Hall effect without spin-orbit coupling in these noncollinear spin systems.Afterward,we summarize and elaborate the electric-field control of the noncollinear spin structure and related physical effects,which could enable ultralow power spintronic devices in future.In the final outlook part,we emphasize the importance and possible routes for experimentally detecting the intriguing theoretically predicted spin-polarized current,verifying the spin Hall effect in the absence of spin-orbit coupling and exploring the anisotropic magnetoresistance and domain-wall-related magnetoresistance effects for noncollinear antiferromagnetic materials.

Van der Waals magnets: Wonder building blocks for two-dimensional spintronics?

The unprecedented realization of two-dimensional(2D)van der Waals magnets excitingly extends the synergy between spintronics and 2D materials,started with graphene over the last decade.This article reviews the recent milestones in the development of 2D magnets and its derived heterostructures.In particular,a number of critical challenges centered around the scalability,ambient stability and Curie temperature of these atomically thin magnets are discussed.This mini-review also provides an outlook on what the future might hold for this integrated field of 2D spintronics,and assesses its potential in postsilicon electronics.

Topological insula tor: Spintronics and quantum computations

Topological insulators are emergent states of quantum matter that are gapped in the bulk with timereversal symmetry-pteserved gapless edge/surface states, adiabatically distinct from conventional mat erials. By proximity to various magnets and superconductors, to pological insula tors show novel physics at the interfaces, which give rise to two new areas named topological spintronics and topological quantum compu tat ion. Effects in the former such as the spin to rques, spin-charge conversion, to pological antiferromagnetic spintronics, and skyrmions realized in topological systems will be addressed. In the latter, a superconducting pairing gap leads to a state that supports Majorana fermions states, which may provide a new path for realizing to pological quantum comp ut at ion. Various signa tu res of Majorana zero modes/edge mode in topological superconductors will be discussed. The review ends by outlooks and potential applications of topological insulators. Topological superconductors that are fabricated using topological insulators with superconductors have a full pairing gap in the bulk and gapless surface states consisting of Majorana fermions. The theory of topological superconductors is reviewed, in close analogy to the theory of topological insulators.

Cornerstone of molecular spintronics: Strategies for reliable organic spin valves

Organic spin valve (OSV), one of the most promising and representative devices involving spin injection, transport and detection, has drawn tremendous attention owing to their ultra-long spin relaxation time in the field of molecular spintronics. Since the first demonstration of truly worked vertical OSV device in 2004, efforts in enhancement of high performance and pursuit of spin-related nature have been devoted in related field. It offers a new opportunity to develop the integrated flexible multi-functional arrays based on spintronics in the future. However, the unreliable working state in OSVs due to the lack of exploration on interface control will cause severe impact on the performance evaluation and further restrict their practical application. Herein, we focus on the recent progress in strategies for reliable fabrication and evaluation of typical OSVs in vertical configuration. Firstly, the challenges in protection of two spin interface properties and identification of spin-valve-like signals were proposed. Then, three points for attention including selection of bottom electrodes, optimization of organic spacer, and prevention of metal penetration to improve the device performance and reliability were mentioned. Particularly, various modified strategies to solve the “dead layer” issue were highlighted. Furthermore, we discussed the general protocols in the reliable evaluation of OSVs’ performance and transport mechanism identification. Notably, several key fundamentals resulting in spurious magnetoresistance (MR) response were illustrated. Finally, we also highlighted the future perspectives on spintronic devices of organic materials.

YN2 monolayer： Novel p-state Dirac half metal for high-speed spintronics

In spintronics, it is highly desirable to find new materials that can simultaneously possess complete spin-polarization, high-speed conduction electrons, large Curie temperature, and robust ferromagnetic ground states. Using first-principles calculations, we demonstrate that the stable YN2 monolayer with octahedral coordination is a novel p-state Dirac half metal （DHM）, which not only has a fully spin-polarized Dirac state, but also the highest Fermi velocity （3.74×10^5 m/s） of the DHMs reported to date. In addition, its half-metallic gap of 1.53 eV is large enough to prevent the spin-flip transition. Because of the strong nonlocal p orbitals of N atoms （N-p） direct exchange interaction, the Curie temperature reaches over 332 K. Moreover, its ferromagnetic ground state can be well preserved under carrier doping or external strain. Therefore, the YN2 monolayer is a promising DHM for high-speed spintronic devices and would lead to new opportunities in designing other p-state DHMs.

Antiferromagnetic spintronics: An overview and outlook

Over the pas few decades,the diversified development of antiferomagnetic spintronics has made antiferomagnets(AFMs)interesting and very useful.After tough challenges,the applications of AFMs in electronic devices have transitioned from focusing on the interface coupling features to achieving the manipulation and detection of AFMs.As AFMs are internally magnetic,taking full use of AFMs for information storage has been the main target of research.In this paper,we provide a comprehensive description of AFM spintronics applications from the interface coupling,read-out operations,and writing manipulations perspective.We examine the early use of AFMs in magnetic recordings and conventional magnetoresistive random-access memory(MRAM),and review the latest mechanisms of the manipulation and detection of AFMs.Finally,based on exchange bias(EB)manipulation,a high-performance EB-MRAM is introduced as the next generation of AFM-based memories,which provides an effective method for read-out and writing of AFMs and opens a new era for AFM spintronics.

State-of-the-art developments in metal and carbon-based semiconducting nanomaterials： applications and functions in spintronics, nanophotonics, and nanomagnetics

Nanomaterials composed of metals and metal alloys are the most valuable components in emerging micro- and nano-electronic devices and innovations to date. The composition of these nanomaterials, their quantum chemical and physical properties, and their production methods are in critical need of summarization, so that a complete state of the art of the present and future of nanotechnologies can be presented. In this review, we report on the most recent activities and results in the fields of spintronics, nanophotonics, and nanomagnetics, with particular emphasis on metallic nanoparticles in alloys and pure metals, as well as in organic combinations and in relation to carbon-based nanostructures. This review shows that the combinatory synthesis of alloys with rare metals, such as scandium, yttrium, and rare earths imparts valuable qualities to high-magnetic-field compounds, and provides unique properties with emphasis on nanoelectronic and computational components. In this review, we also shed light on the methods of synthesis and the background of spintronic, nanomagnetic, and nanophotonic materials, with applications in optics, diagnostics, nanoelectronics, and computational nanotechnology. The review is important for the industrial development of novel materials, and for summarizing both fabrication and manufacturing methods, as well as principles and functions of metallic nanoparticles.