Two dimensional (2D) materials, like graphene, provide a unique platform to explore proximity induced phenomena in condensed matter systems as these effects are expected to be the strongest in 2D materials (consisting of all surface atoms). There has been a great deal of interest to study the proximity-induced changes in the electrical, optical and spin related properties of low dimensional materials. We are particularly interested in studying the spin transport in graphene in the presence of the magnetic exchange field of the nearby ferromagnet materials, preferably an insulator so that graphene’s unique electrical properties are retained. We use the mechanical dry transfer methods to obtain atomically clean interfaces of 2D materials/ferromagnet so that the proximity effects can be maximized at the interface. Currently we are probing the graphene/YIG heterostructures wherein the spins in the graphene channel can be controlled by the direction of the exchange field due to YIG magnetization. These studies provide a step forward towards realizing the efficient manipulation of spin currents via magnetic proximity control for spin logic/memory applications.
| Science | Optical and Electrical … | Magnetic Proximity Effects in 2D Materials