Modulating above-room-temperature magnetism in Ga-implanted Fe5GeTe2 van der Waals magnets

• Published in: APL materials 2023-09, Vol.11 (9), p.091101-091101-8
• Main Authors: Yuan, Yanan, Liu, Daxiang, Yu, Jingjing, Zhang, Guanhua, Chen, Xiang, Liu, Ruiqi, Wang, Siyu, Pei, Fangfang, Wei, Long, Li, Zhi, Guo, Junming, Wang, Shouguo, Liao, Zhaoliang, Yan, Wensheng, Qiu, Ziqiang, Yang, Mengmeng, Li, Qian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ferromagnetic materials; Ferromagnetic resonance; Kerr microscopy; Magnetic anisotropy; Magnetic nanostructures; Magnetic ordering; MATERIALS SCIENCE; Photoemission electron microscopy; X-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy
• ISSN: 2166-532X; 2166-532X
• DOI: 10.1063/5.0168468

The creation of van der Waals (vdW) ferromagnets with tunable Curie temperature (TC) and magnetic anisotropy is essential in developing vdW magnet-based devices. Here, we report an effective and reliable method for modulating the magnetic properties of vdW Fe5GeTe2 by site-specific Ga+ implantation. In this study, we report an easy axis in the ab-plane for bulk Fe5GeTe2 (TC = 310 K) and an axis out of the plane for thin Fe5GeTe2 flakes (TC = 290 K). Combining element-resolved photoemission electron microscopy and spatially resolved magneto-optic Kerr microscopy, we find that the implantation of a tiny amount of 10−3 Ga+·Å−3 in Fe5GeTe2 greatly enhances the TC from 290 to 360 K and switches the magnetic easy axis from the out-of-plane c axis to the ab-plane. The room-temperature x-ray magnetic circular dichroism signal is enhanced from 0% to 9% at an implantation level of 10−2 Ga+·Å−3. These results provide new opportunities for tailoring the magnetic properties of vdW materials beyond room temperature.