Magnetic Proximity induced efficient charge-to-spin conversion in large area PtSe$_{2}$/Ni$_{80}$Fe$_{20}$ heterostructures

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that large-area PtSe₂/Ni₈₀Fe₂₀ heterostructures exhibit highly efficient charge-to-spin conversion via proximity-induced spin-orbit torques, revealing new potential for energy-efficient spintronic devices.

Contribution

It reveals that PtSe₂ can generate strong spin-orbit torques through proximity effects, despite lacking bulk spin-splitting, and provides quantitative efficiency measurements.

Findings

Charge-to-spin conversion efficiency is three times higher than control.

Proximity magnetic field induces large spin splitting at the interface.

Potential for energy-efficient nanoscale spintronic devices.

Abstract

As a topological Dirac semimetal with controllable spin-orbit coupling and conductivity, PtSe$_2$, a transition-metal dichalcogenide, is a promising material for several applications from optoelectric to sensors. However, its potential for spintronics applications is yet to be explored. In this work, we demonstrate that PtSe$_{2}$/Ni$_{80}$Fe$_{20}$ heterostructure can generate a large damping-like current-induced spin-orbit torques (SOT), despite the absence of spin-splitting in bulk PtSe$_{2}$. The efficiency of charge-to-spin conversion is found to be $(-0.1 \pm 0.02)$~nm$^{-1}$ in PtSe$_{2}$/Ni$_{80}$Fe$_{20}$, which is three times that of the control sample, Ni$_{80}$Fe$_{20}$/Pt. Our band structure calculations show that the SOT due to the PtSe$_2$ arises from an unexpectedly large spin splitting in the interfacial region of PtSe$_2$ introduced by the proximity magnetic field of the Ni$_{80}$Fe$_{20}$ layer. Our results open up the possibilities of using large-area PtSe$_{2}$ for energy-efficient nanoscale devices by utilizing the proximity-induced SOT.