Evolution of interlayer and intralayer magnetism in three atomically thin chromium trihalides

23 May 2019  ·  Kim Hyun Ho, Yang Bowen, Li Siwen, Jiang Shengwei, Jin Chenhao, Tao Zui, Nichols George, Sfigakis Francois, Zhong Shazhou, Li Chenghe, Tian Shangjie, Cory David G., Miao Guo-Xing, Shan Jie, Mak Kin Fai, Lei Hechang, Sun Kai, Zhao Liuyan, Tsen Adam W. ·

We conduct a comprehensive study of three different magnetic semiconductors, CrI$_3$, CrBr$_3$, and CrCl$_3$, by incorporating both few- and bi-layer samples in van der Waals tunnel junctions. We find that the interlayer magnetic ordering, exchange gap, magnetic anisotropy, as well as magnon excitations evolve systematically with changing halogen atom. By fitting to a spin wave theory that accounts for nearest neighbor exchange interactions, we are able to further determine a simple spin Hamiltonian describing all three systems. These results extend the 2D magnetism platform to Ising, Heisenberg, and XY spin classes in a single material family. Using magneto-optical measurements, we additionally demonstrate that ferromagnetism can be stabilized down to monolayer in more isotropic CrBr$_3$, with transition temperature still close to that of the bulk.

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Materials Science