Van der Waals heterostructures for spintronics and opto-spintronics

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in van der Waals heterostructures for spintronics and opto-spintronics, emphasizing their unique properties, hybrid functionalities, and future prospects for ultra-compact quantum devices.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of how 2D vdW heterostructures enable novel spin-related phenomena and multi-functional device architectures in spintronics and opto-spintronics.

Findings

Unique spin phenomena from proximity effects

Creation of multi-functional hybrid heterostructures

Potential for ultra-compact all-2D spin devices

Abstract

The large variety of 2D materials and their co-integration in van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures enable innovative device engineering. In addition, their atomically-thin nature promotes the design of artificial materials by proximity effects that originate from short-range interactions. Such a designer approach is particularly compelling for spintronics, which typically harnesses functionalities from thin layers of magnetic and non-magnetic materials and the interfaces between them. Here, we overview recent progress on 2D spintronics and opto-spintronics using vdW heterostructures. After an introduction to the forefront of spin transport research, we highlight the unique spin-related phenomena arising from spin-orbit and magnetic proximity effects. We further describe the ability to create multi-functional hybrid heterostructures based on vdW materials, combining spin, valley and excitonic degrees of freedom. We end with an outlook on perspectives and challenges for the design and production of ultra-compact all-2D spin devices and their potential applications in conventional and quantum technologies.