Spin and valley-dependent tunneling in MoS$_2$ through magnetic barrier

TL;DR

This paper investigates how magnetic barriers influence spin and valley-dependent electron tunneling in monolayer MoS$_2$, revealing controllable spin-polarized and valley-polarized currents with potential applications in spintronics and valleytronics.

Contribution

It introduces a full-band continuum model to analyze magnetic barrier effects on electron transport in MoS$_2$, highlighting the control of spin and valley polarization through external parameters.

Findings

Resonant tunneling features due to quantum interference

Distinct resonance patterns linked to spin-orbit coupling

Magnetic barriers enable control of spin and valley polarization

Abstract

We study electron transport in monolayer molybdenum disulfide MoS$_2$ subjected to a magnetic barrier. Our analysis employs a full-band continuum model to capture the relevant physical phenomena. We focus on how electron energy, magnetic field strength, and the geometric characteristics of the barrier affect the transmission and conductance. We observe sharp resonant tunneling features emerging from quantum interference effects induced by magnetic confinement. A key outcome of our study is the discovery of distinct resonance patterns in the conduction and valence bands. These patterns are closely related to the intrinsic spin-orbit coupling in MoS$_2$ and the breaking of time-reversal symmetry by the magnetic field. This results in significant spin and valley selectivity in electron transport. We demonstrate that adjusting external parameters precisely controls spin-polarized and valley-polarized currents. We show that a magnetic barrier can control electron spin and valley in MoS$_2$, making it a promising platform for energy-efficient spintronic and valleytronic devices.