Above-room-temperature chiral skyrmion lattice and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in a van der Waals ferromagnet Fe<sub>3-x</sub>GaTe<sub>2</sub>.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 38796498.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-024-48799-9 and PMC identifier 11127993.
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Abstract
Skyrmions in existing 2D van der Waals (vdW) materials have primarily been limited to cryogenic temperatures, and the underlying physical mechanism of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI), a crucial ingredient for stabilizing chiral skyrmions, remains inadequately explored. Here, we report the observation of Néel-type skyrmions in a vdW ferromagnet Fe<sub>3-x</sub>GaTe<sub>2</sub> above room temperature. Contrary to previous assumptions of centrosymmetry in Fe<sub>3-x</sub>GaTe<sub>2</sub>, the atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals that the off-centered Fe<sub>ΙΙ</sub> atoms break the spatial inversion symmetry, rendering it a polar metal. First-principles calculations further elucidate that the DMI primarily stems from the Te sublayers through the Fert-Lévy mechanism. Remarkably, the chiral skyrmion lattice in Fe<sub>3-x</sub>GaTe<sub>2</sub> can persist up to 330 K at zero magnetic field, demonstrating superior thermal stability compared to other known skyrmion vdW magnets. This work provides valuable insights into skyrmionics and presents promising prospects for 2D material-based skyrmion devices operating beyond room temperature.