From ferromagnetic semiconductor to antiferromagnetic metal in epitaxial Cr x Te y monolayers
Abstract Chromium ditelluride, CrTe2, is an attractive candidate van der Waals material for hosting 2D magnetism. However, how the room-temperature ferromagnetism of the bulk evolves as the sample is thinned to the single-layer limit has proved controversial. This, in part, reflects its metastable n...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
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| Series: | npj Quantum Materials |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-025-00772-5 |
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| Summary: | Abstract Chromium ditelluride, CrTe2, is an attractive candidate van der Waals material for hosting 2D magnetism. However, how the room-temperature ferromagnetism of the bulk evolves as the sample is thinned to the single-layer limit has proved controversial. This, in part, reflects its metastable nature, vs. a series of more stable self-intercalation compounds with higher relative Cr:Te stoichiometry. Here, exploiting a recently developed method for enhancing nucleation in molecular-beam epitaxy growth of transition-metal chalcogenides, we demonstrate the selective stabilisation of high-coverage CrTe2 and Cr2+ε Te3 epitaxial monolayers. Combining X-ray magnetic circular dichroism, scanning tunnelling microscopy, and temperature-dependent angle-resolved photoemission, we demonstrate that both compounds order magnetically with a similar T C. We find, however, that monolayer CrTe2 forms as an antiferromagnetic metal, while monolayer Cr2+ε Te3 hosts an intrinsic ferromagnetic semiconducting state. This work thus demonstrates that control over the self-intercalation of metastable Cr-based chalcogenides provides a powerful route for tuning both their metallicity and magnetic structure, establishing the CrxTey system as a flexible materials class for future 2D spintronics. |
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| ISSN: | 2397-4648 |