Strong magnetic proximity effect in Van der Waals heterostructures driven by direct hybridization

Abstract: We propose a new class of magnetic proximity effects based on the spin dependent hybridization between the electronic states at the Fermi energy in a non-magnetic conductor and the narrow spin split bands of a ferromagnetic insulator. Unlike conventional exchange proximity, we show this hybridization proximity effect has a very strong influence on the non-magnetic layer and can be further modulated by application of an electric field. We use DFT calculations to illustrate this effect in graphene placed next to a monolayer of CrI$_3$, a ferromagnetic insulator. We find strong hybridization of the graphene bands with the narrow conduction band of CrI$_3$ in one spin channel only. We show that our results are robust with respect to lattice mismatch and twist angle variations. Furthermore, we show that an out-of-plane electric field can be used to modulate the hybridization strength, paving the way for applications.