Weak de-localization in graphene on a ferromagnetic insulating film

TL;DR

This study investigates how magnetic stray fields from a ferromagnetic insulator influence weak localization in graphene, revealing complex interface effects relevant for spintronics.

Contribution

It demonstrates that the correlation between magnetoresistance and magnetization in graphene on a ferromagnetic insulator is due to stray fields, not direct magnetic proximity effects.

Findings

Magnetoresistance correlates with ferromagnetic insulator magnetization.

Stray magnetic fields explain the observed effects.

Interface complexity affects graphene's electronic properties.

Abstract

Graphene has been predicted to develop a magnetic moment by proximity effect when placed on a ferromagnetic film, a promise that could open exciting possibilities in the fields of spintronics and magnetic data recording. In this work, we study in detail the interplay between the magnetoresistance of graphene and the magnetization of an underlying ferromagnetic insulating film. A clear correlation between both magnitudes is observed but we find, through a careful modelling of the magnetization and the weak localization measurements, that such correspondence can be explained by the effects of the magnetic stray fields arising from the ferromagnetic insulator. Our results emphasize the complexity arising at the interface between magnetic and two-dimensional materials.