Materials research has driven the development of modern nano-electronic devices. In particular, research in magnetic thin films has revolutionized the development of spintronic devices1,2 because identifying new magnetic materials is key to better device performance and design. Van der Waals crystals retain their chemical stability and structural integrity down to the monolayer and, being atomically thin, are readily tuned by various kinds of gate modulation3,4. Recent experiments have demonstrated that it is possible to obtain two-dimensional ferromagnetic order in insulating Cr2Ge2Te6 (ref. 5) and CrI3 (ref. 6) at low temperatures. Here we develop a device fabrication technique and isolate monolayers from the layered metallic magnet Fe3GeTe2 to study magnetotransport. We find that the itinerant ferromagnetism persists in Fe3GeTe2 down to the monolayer with an out-of-plane magnetocrystalline anisotropy. The ferromagnetic transition temperature, Tc, is suppressed relative to the bulk Tc of 205 kelvin in pristine Fe3GeTe2 thin flakes. An ionic gate, however, raises Tc to room temperature, much higher than the bulk Tc. The gate-tunable room-temperature ferromagnetism in two-dimensional Fe3GeTe2 opens up opportunities for potential voltage-controlled magnetoelectronics7-11 based on atomically thin van der Waals crystals.

Gate-tunable Room-temperature Ferromagnetism in Two-dimensional Fe 3 GeTe 2

Recently, layered two-dimensional ferromagnetic materials (2D FMs) have attracted a great deal of interest for developing low-dimensional magnetic and spintronic devices. Mechanically exfoliated 2D FMs were discovered to possess ferromagnetism down to monolayer. It is therefore of great importance to investigate the distinct magnetic properties at low dimensionality. Here, we report the wafer-scale growth of 2D ferromagnetic thin films of Fe3GeTe2 via molecular beam epitaxy, and their exotic magnetic properties can be manipulated via the Fe composition and the interface coupling with antiferromagnetic MnTe. A 2D layer-by-layer growth mode has been achieved by in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction oscillations, yielding a well-defined interlayer distance of 0.82 nm along {002} surface. The magnetic easy axis is oriented along c-axis with a Curie temperature of 216.4 K. Remarkably, the Curie temperature can be enhanced when raising the Fe composition. Upon coupling with MnTe, the coercive field dramatically increases 50% from 0.65 to 0.94 Tesla. The large-scale layer-by-layer growth and controllable magnetic properties make Fe3GeTe2 a promising candidate for spintronic applications. It also opens up unprecedented opportunities to explore rich physics when coupled with other 2D superconductors and topological matters.2D synthesis: molecular beam epitaxy enables growth of ferromagnetic Fe 3 GeTe 2Molecular beam epitaxy enables wafer-scale growth of Fe3GeTe2, an atomically thin ferromagnetic compound. A team led by Faxian Xiu at Fudan University demonstrated layer-by-layer growth of large-area, 8 nm-thick films of Fe3GeTe2 on sapphire and GaAs substrates in a high-vacuum molecular beam epitaxy system. The measured Curie temperature of 216.4 K was found to vary systematically with the Fe composition, indicating that Fe doping is a viable route to achieving tailored ferromagnetic ternary compounds with tunable Curie temperature. Furthermore, upon coupling Fe3GeTe2 with antiferromagnetic MnTe, the magnetic properties of the former could be enhanced owing to the exchange interaction from the ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic superlattice interface. As a result, the coercive field increased by 50% with respect to bare Fe3GeTe2. These results highlight that Fe3GeTe2 and its heterostructures are promising candidates for spintronic devices.

Wafer-scale Two-dimensional Ferromagnetic Fe 3 GeTe 2 Thin Films Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

The evolutionary success in information technology has been sustained by the rapid growth of sensor technology. Recently, advances in sensor technology have promoted the ambitious requirement to build intelligent systems that can be controlled by external stimuli along with independent operation, adaptivity, and low energy expenditure. Among various sensing techniques, field-effect transistors (FETs) with channels made of two-dimensional (2D) materials attract increasing attention for advantages such as label-free detection, fast response, easy operation, and capability of integration. With atomic thickness, 2D materials restrict the carrier flow within the material surface and expose it directly to the external environment, leading to efficient signal acquisition and conversion. This review summarizes the latest advances of 2D-materials-based FET (2D FET) sensors in a comprehensive manner that contains the material, operating principles, fabrication technologies, proof-of-concept applications, and prototypes. First, a brief description of the background and fundamentals is provided. The subsequent contents summarize physical, chemical, and biological 2D FET sensors and their applications. Then, we highlight the challenges of their commercialization and discuss corresponding solution techniques. The following section presents a systematic survey of recent progress in developing commercial prototypes. Lastly, we summarize the long-standing efforts and prospective future development of 2D FET-based sensing systems toward commercialization.

Two-Dimensional Field-Effect Transistor Sensors: The Road toward Commercialization.

Intrinsic magnetic topological insulator MnBi 2 Te 4

Ferromagnetism and the Kondo effect are crucial for 3d electrons to become spin-separated and heavy at the same time. Searching for heavy fermion (HF) states in non–f-electron systems becomes an interesting issue, especially in the presence of magnetism, and can help explain the physics of complex compounds. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, physical properties measurements, and the first-principles calculations, we observe the HF state in a 3d-electron van der Waals ferromagnet, Fe3GeTe2. Upon entering the ferromagnetic state, a massive spectral weight transfer occurs, which results from the exchange splitting. Meanwhile, the Fermi surface volume and effective electron mass are both enhanced. When the temperature drops below a characteristic temperature T*, heavy electrons gradually emerge with further enhanced effective electron mass. The coexistence of ferromagnetism and HF state can be well interpreted by the dual properties (itinerant and localized) of 3d electrons. This work expands the limit of ferromagnetic HF materials from f- to d-electron systems and illustrates the positive correlation between ferromagnetism and HF state in the 3d-electron material, which is quite different from the f-electron systems.

Emergence of Kondo lattice behavior in a van der Waals itinerant ferromagnet Fe 3 GeTe 2

With the emergence of the van der Waals two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetic materials, ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{3}{\mathrm{GeTe}}_{2}$ (FGT) with a high Curie temperature (${T}_{\mathrm{C}}$) and the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) provides a rich platform for the next generation spintronic devices. Up to now, in most 2D magnets-based devices, the easiest and the most convenient way to obtain thin flakes is still the mechanical exfoliation method. However, samples with thickness variation occur inevitably during this process, which are either ignored due to the thickness-inhomogeneity-induced complicated phenomena or far from been fully reached. Herein, unlike conventional symmetric magnetoresistance with respect to the magnetic field observed in thickness-uniform FGT flakes, we demonstrate a hitherto rarely observed antisymmetric magnetoresistance in thickness-inhomogeneous nanodevices. Since the ${T}_{\mathrm{C}}$ and coercive field (${H}_{\mathrm{C}}$) of FGT are thickness dependent, thickness variations in FGT flake lead to different regions with distinct ${H}_{\mathrm{C}}\mathrm{s}$. Together with the thickness variations-induced differences in ${H}_{\mathrm{C}}\mathrm{s}$ and the PMA, an eddy current generates in the proximity of the thickness boundary during the magnetic switching process. This eddy current perturbs the longitudinal resistance and results in the unexpected antisymmetry. Our work provides a new understanding and the device application in thickness-variation 2D ferromagnetic materials, which are more experimentally common but have been neglected thus far.

Zhenqi Wu

Papers

Antisymmetric magnetoresistance in Fe 3 GeTe 2 nanodevices of inhomogeneous thickness

Large Linear Magnetoresistance of High-Mobility 2D Electron System at Nonisostructural γ-Al2O3/SrTiO3 Heterointerfaces