Spin inversion in graphene spin valves by gate-tunable magnetic proximity effect at one-dimensional contacts.

Xu, Jinsong; Singh, Simranjeet; Katoch, Jyoti; Wu, Guanzhong; Zhu, Tiancong; Žutić, Igor; Kawakami, Roland K · Nat Commun · 2018

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Graphene has remarkable opportunities for spintronics due to its high mobility and long spin diffusion length, especially when encapsulated in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). Here, we demonstrate gate-tunable spin transport in such encapsulated graphene-based spin valves with one-dimensional (1D) ferromagnetic edge contacts. An electrostatic backgate tunes the Fermi level of graphene to probe different energy levels of the spin-polarized density of states (DOS) of the 1D ferromagnetic contact, which interact through a magnetic proximity effect (MPE) that induces ferromagnetism in graphene. In contrast to conventional spin valves, where switching between high- and low-resistance configuration requires magnetization reversal by an applied magnetic field or a high-density spin-polarized current, we provide an alternative path with the gate-controlled spin inversion in graphene.