Imaging Nucleation and Propagation of Pinned Domains in Few-Layer Fe<sub>5-<i>x</i></sub>GeTe<sub>2</sub>.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37642321.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1021/acsnano.3c03825 and PMC identifier 10510720.
- 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
Engineering nontrivial spin textures in magnetic van der Waals materials is highly desirable for spintronic applications based on hybrid heterostructures. The recent observation of labyrinth and bubble domains in the near room-temperature ferromagnet Fe<sub>5-<i>x</i></sub>GeTe<sub>2</sub> down to a bilayer thickness was thus a significant advancement toward van der Waals-based many-body physics. However, the physical mechanism responsible for stabilizing these domains remains unclear and requires further investigation. Here, we combine cryogenic scanning diamond quantum magnetometry and field reversal techniques to elucidate the high-field propagation and nucleation of bubble domains in trilayer Fe<sub>5-<i>x</i></sub>GeTe<sub>2</sub>. We provide evidence of pinning-induced nucleation of magnetic bubbles and further show an unexpectedly high layer-dependent coercive field. These measurements can be easily extended to a wide range of magnetic materials to provide valuable nanoscale insight into domain processes critical for spintronic applications.