Influence of Magnetic Sublattice Ordering on Skyrmion Bubble Stability in 2D Magnet Fe₅GeTe₂.

Abstract

The realization of above room-temperature ferromagnetism in the two-dimensional (2D) magnet Fe₅GeTe₂ represents a major advance for the use of van der Waals (vdW) materials in practical spintronic applications. In particular, observations of magnetic skyrmions and related states within exfoliated flakes of this material provide a pathway to the fine-tuning of topological spin textures via 2D material heterostructure engineering. However, there are conflicting reports as to the nature of the magnetic structures in Fe₅GeTe₂. The matter is further complicated by the study of two types of Fe₅GeTe₂ crystals with markedly different structural and magnetic properties, distinguished by their specific fabrication procedure: whether they are slowly cooled or rapidly quenched from the growth temperature. In this work, we combine X-ray and electron microscopy to observe the formation of magnetic stripe domains, skyrmion-like type-I, and topologically trivial type-II bubbles, within exfoliated flakes of Fe₅GeTe₂. The results reveal the influence of the magnetic ordering of the Fe1 sublattice below 150 K, which dramatically alters the magnetocrystalline anisotropy and leads to a complex magnetic phase diagram and a sudden change of the stability of the magnetic textures. In addition, we highlight the significant differences in the magnetic structures intrinsic to slow-cooled and quenched Fe₅GeTe₂ flakes.