Transition Metal Dichalcogenides: Making Atomic-Level Magnetism Tunable with Light at Room Temperature

Published

December 10, 2023

Author(s)

Valery Ortiz Jimenez, Yen Pham, Da Zhou, Mingzu Liu, Florence Ann Nugera, Vijaysankar Kalappattil, Tatiana Eggers, Khang Hoang, Dinh Loc Duong, Mauricio Terrones, Humberto Rodriguez Gutierrez, Manh-Huong Phan

Abstract

The capacity to manipulate magnetization in 2D dilute magnetic semiconductors (2D-DMSs) using light, specifically in magnetically doped transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) monolayers (M-doped TX2, where M = V, Fe, and Cr; T = W, Mo; X = S, Se, and Te), may lead to innovative applications in spintronics, spin-caloritronics, valleytronics, and quantum computation. This Perspective paper explores the mediation of magnetization by light under ambient conditions in 2D-TMD DMSs and heterostructures. By combining magneto-LC resonance (MLCR) experiments with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we show that the magnetization can be enhanced using light in V-doped TMD monolayers (e.g., V-WS2, V-WSe2). This phenomenon is attributed to excess holes in the conduction and valence bands, and carriers trapped in magnetic doping states, mediating the magnetization of the semiconducting layer. In 2D-TMD heterostructures (VSe2/WS2, VSe2/MoS2), the significance of proximity, charge-transfer, and confinement effects in amplifying light-mediated magnetism is demonstrated. We attributed this to photon absorption at the TMD layer that generates electron–hole pairs mediating the magnetization of the heterostructure. These findings will encourage further research in the field of 2D magnetism and establish a novel design of 2D-TMDs and heterostructures with optically tunable magnetic functionalities, paving the way for next-generation magneto-optic nanodevices.

Citation

Advanced Science

Volume

11

Issue

7

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202304792

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Keywords

2D van der Waals Magnets, Transition Metal Dichalcogenides, Heterostructures, Opto-spintronics, Spin-caloritronics, Valleytronics, Quantum Communications

Citation

Ortiz Jimenez, V. , Pham, Y. , Zhou, D. , Liu, M. , Nugera, F. , Kalappattil, V. , Eggers, T. , Hoang, K. , Duong, D. , Terrones, M. , Rodriguez Gutierrez, H. and Phan, M. (2023), Transition Metal Dichalcogenides: Making Atomic-Level Magnetism Tunable with Light at Room Temperature, Advanced Science, [online], https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202304792, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=936913 (Accessed April 27, 2024)