Layer-Dependent Magnetic Domains in Atomically Thin Fe<sub>5</sub>GeTe<sub>2</sub>.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 35802911.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1021/acsnano.2c01948 and PMC identifier 9331157.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Magnetic domain formation in two-dimensional (2D) materials gives perspectives into the fundamental origins of 2D magnetism and also motivates the development of advanced spintronics devices. However, the characterization of magnetic domains in atomically thin van der Waals (vdW) flakes remains challenging. Here, we employ X-ray photoemission electron microscopy (XPEEM) to perform layer-resolved imaging of the domain structures in the itinerant vdW ferromagnet Fe<sub>5</sub>GeTe<sub>2</sub> which shows near room temperature bulk ferromagnetism and a weak perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA). In the bulk limit, we observe the well-known labyrinth-type domains. Thinner flakes, on the other hand, are characterized by increasingly fragmented domains. While PMA is a characteristic property of Fe<sub>5</sub>GeTe<sub>2</sub>, we observe a spin-reorientation transition with the spins canting in-plane for flakes thinner than six layers. Notably, a bubble phase emerges in four-layer flakes. This thickness dependence, which clearly deviates from the single-domain behavior observed in other 2D magnetic materials, demonstrates the exciting prospect of stabilizing complex spin textures in 2D vdW magnets at relatively high temperatures.