Resistance switch in ferromagnet/spin glass/ferromagnet spin valves

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a novel ferromagnet/spin glass/ferromagnet spin valve architecture in a single van-der-Waals layer, showing resistance switching due to spin state changes in the spin glass layer, with tunable properties via Bi-doping.

Contribution

It introduces a new spin valve design using a single 2D layer with tunable spin glass behavior, enabling atomic-scale spintronics integration.

Findings

Successful fabrication of a spin-valve-like structure in a single 2D layer.

Demonstration of resistance switching linked to spin state changes.

Control of spin glass properties through Bi-doping and temperature.

Abstract

We obtain in single van-der-Waals layer of MnBi2Te4 the spin-valve-like ferromagnet/spin glass (SG)/ferromagnet architecture, where the switch of individual spin states in the SG-like layer appears as the resistance switch behavior. The characteristic temperature of SG can be effectively tuned by fine-control of Bi-doping in the SG layer. A doping- and temperature-dependent phase diagram is established. We demonstrate the remote manipulation and detection of the states of individual Mn-layer spins by tunneling electrons in favor of the electron-phonon, spin-phonon, spin-transfer torque and spin-flip interactions among hot electrons, lattice and local spins, where the spin valve layer is even buried below two-quintuple-layer Bi2Te3. The integration of the SG state into spin valves opens the opportunity of realizing atomic-scale spintronics by integrating different degrees of freedom in two dimensional materials.