Magnetic Insulator-Induced Proximity Effects in Graphene: Spin Filtering and Exchange Splitting Gaps

TL;DR

This paper uses first-principles calculations to demonstrate how a magnetic insulator like EuO can induce significant spin polarization and exchange gaps in graphene, enabling potential spintronic applications.

Contribution

It provides detailed first-principles insights into the magnetic proximity effects in graphene caused by EuO, highlighting the potential for spin gating at higher temperatures.

Findings

Spin polarization of up to 24% in graphene due to EuO proximity

Exchange splitting bandgap of approximately 36 meV in graphene

Dirac cone position depends strongly on interlayer distance

Abstract

We report on first-principles calculations of spin-dependent properties in graphene induced by its interaction with a nearby magnetic insulator (Europium oxide, EuO). The magnetic proximity effect results in spin polarization of graphene $\pi$ orbitals by up to 24 %, together with large exchange splitting bandgap of about 36 meV. The position of the Dirac cone is further shown to depend strongly on the graphene-EuO interlayer. These findings point towards the possible engineering of spin gating by proximity effect at relatively high temperature, which stands as a hallmark for future all-spin information processing technologies.