Magnetic proximity effect as a pathway to spintronic applications of topological insulators.

Vobornik, Ivana; Manju, Unnikrishnan; Fujii, Jun; Borgatti, Francesco; Torelli, Piero; Krizmancic, Damjan; Hor, Yew San; Cava, Robert J et al. · Nano Lett · 2011

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Spin-based electronics in topological insulators (TIs) is favored by the long spin coherence(1,2) and consequently fault-tolerant information storage. Magnetically doped TIs are ferromagnetic up to 13 K,(3) well below any practical operating condition. Here we demonstrate that the long-range ferromagnetism at ambient temperature can be induced in Bi(2-x)Mn(x)Te(3) by the magnetic proximity effect through deposited Fe overlayer. This result opens a new path to interface-controlled ferromagnetism in TI-based spintronic devices.