Interplay between local moment and itinerant magnetism in the layered metallic antiferromagnet TaFe$_{1.14}$Te$_3$

TL;DR

This study synthesizes and characterizes the layered metallic antiferromagnet TaFe$_{1.14}$Te$_3$, revealing its magnetic, electronic, and structural properties, and demonstrates its potential for 2D spintronics due to its stability and metallic nature.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of TaFe$_{1.14}$Te$_3$, highlighting its unique combination of metallic transport, air stability, and antiferromagnetic order, and shows how to isolate few-layer sheets for 2D applications.

Findings

TaFe$_{1.14}$Te$_3$ exhibits high saturation magnetic fields of 27-30 T.

The material is confirmed to be metallic with strong magnetic-electronic coupling.

Few-layer sheets can be mechanically exfoliated, enabling 2D spintronics applications.

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) antiferromagnets have garnered considerable interest for the next generation of functional spintronics. However, many available bulk materials from which 2D antiferromagnets are isolated are limited by their sensitivity to air, low ordering temperatures, and insulating transport properties. TaFe$_{1+y}$Te$_3$ offers unique opportunities to address these challenges with increased air stability, metallic transport properties, and robust antiferromagnetic order. Here, we synthesize TaFe$_{1+y}$Te$_3$ ($y$ = 0.14), identify its structural, magnetic, and electronic properties, and elucidate the relationships between them. Axial-dependent high-field magnetization measurements on TaFe$_{1.14}$Te$_3$ reveal saturation magnetic fields ranging between 27-30 T with a saturation magnetic moment of 2.05-2.12 $\mu_B$. Magnetotransport measurements confirm TaFe$_{1.14}$Te$_3$ is metallic with strong coupling between magnetic order and electronic transport. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements across the magnetic transition uncover a complex interplay between itinerant electrons and local magnetic moments that drives the magnetic transition. We further demonstrate the ability to isolate few-layer sheets of TaFe$_{1.14}$Te$_3$ through mechanical exfoliation, establishing TaFe$_{1.14}$Te$_3$ as a potential platform for 2D spintronics based on metallic layered antiferromagnets.