Interface-enhanced ferromagnetism with long-distance effect in van der Waals semiconductor

Abstract: Ferromagnetic semiconductors discovered in two-dimensional (2D) materials open an avenue for highly integrated and multifunctional spintronics. The Curie temperature (TC) of existed 2D ferromagnetic semiconductors is extremely low and the modulation effect of their magnetism is limited compared with their 2D metallic counterparts. The interfacial effect was found to effectively manipulate the three-dimensional magnetism, providing a unique opportunity for tailoring the 2D magnetism. Here we demonstrate that the TC of 2D ferromagnetic semiconductor Cr2Ge2Te6 can be enhanced by 130% (from ~65 K to above 150 K) when adjacent to a tungsten layer. The interfacial W-Te bonding contributes to the TC enhancement with a strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), guaranteeing an efficient magnetization switching by the spin-orbit torque with a low current density at 150 K. Distinct from the rapid attenuation in conventional magnets, the interfacial effect exhibits a weak dependence on Cr2Ge2Te6 thickness and a long-distance effect (more than 10 nanometers) due to the weak interlayer coupling inherent to 2D magnets. Our work not only reveals a unique interfacial behavior in 2D materials, but also advances the process towards practical 2D spintronics.