Thermally activated processes for ferromagnet intercalation in graphene-heavy metal interfaces

The development of graphene (Gr) spintronics requires the ability to engineer epitaxial Gr heterostructures with interfaces of high quality, in which the intrinsic properties of Gr are modified through proximity with a ferromagnet to allow for efficient room temperature spin manipulation or the stab...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Ajejas, Fernando, Anadon, Alberto, Gudin, Adrian, Diez, José Manuel, Ayani, Cosme G., Olleros-Rodríguez, Pablo, De Melo Costa, Leticia, Navío Bernabeu, Cristina, Gutierrez, Alejandro, Calleja, Fabian, López Vázquez de Parga, Amadeo, Miranda Soriano, Rodolfo, Camarero de Diego, Julio, Perna, Paolo
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Repositorio:Biblos-e Archivo. Repositorio Institucional de la UAM
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.uam.es:10486/699481
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10486/699481
https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b19159
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Epitaxy
Graphene
Oxides
Photoemission spectroscopy
Scanning tunnel microscopy
Spin-orbit coupling
Surface science
Física
Descripción
Sumario:The development of graphene (Gr) spintronics requires the ability to engineer epitaxial Gr heterostructures with interfaces of high quality, in which the intrinsic properties of Gr are modified through proximity with a ferromagnet to allow for efficient room temperature spin manipulation or the stabilization of new magnetic textures. These heterostructures can be prepared in a controlled way by intercalation through graphene of different metals. Using photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we achieve a nanoscale control of thermally activated intercalation of a homogeneous ferromagnetic (FM) layer underneath epitaxial Gr grown onto (111)-oriented heavy metal (HM) buffers deposited, in turn, onto insulating oxide surfaces. XPS and STM demonstrate that Co atoms evaporated on top of Gr arrange in 3D clusters and, upon thermal annealing, penetrate through and diffuse below Gr in a 2D fashion. The complete intercalation of the metal occurs at specific temperatures, depending on the type of metallic buffer. The activation energy and the optimum temperature for the intercalation processes are determined. We describe a reliable method to fabricate and characterize in situ high-quality Gr-FM/HM heterostructures, enabling the realization of novel spin-orbitronic devices that exploit the extraordinary properties of Gr