Topological and Planar Hall Effect in Monoclinic van der Waals Ferromagnet NbFeTe$_2$

TL;DR

This study reports the first observation of topological and planar Hall effects in the layered ferromagnet NbFeTe$_2$, revealing nontrivial electronic structures and magnetic properties promising for spintronics.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental evidence of THE and PHE in NbFeTe$_2$, highlighting its potential for future spintronic devices with nontrivial band topology.

Findings

Observation of THE up to 45 K

PHE persists above Curie temperature

Evidence of nontrivial electronic band structure

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) ferromagnets have emerged as a critical class of quantum materials for next-generation, low-dimensional spintronic devices. In this study, we report a comprehensive study of the transport properties of the layered soft ferromagnet $\text{NbFeTe}_2$. We report the first observation of the topological Hall effect (THE) and the planar Hall effect (PHE) in metallic $\text{NbFeTe}_2$. THE signatures persist up to 45 K, while PHE remains evident well above Curie temperature ($T_C$). The observed negative longitudinal magnetoresistance, along with the PHE, provides strong evidence for a nontrivial electronic band structure. The coexistence of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and a substantial THE: two key properties that are highly desirable for future spintronics applications, makes monoclinic vdW ferromagnetic $\text{NbFeTe}_2$ a promising platform to advance spintronics applications.