arXiv subjects

Bart J. van Wees

Publications and source records attributed to Bart J. van Wees.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Anisotropic magnon spin transport in CrPS$_4$

Crystal anisotropy provides a powerful route for realizing direction-dependent transport in solid-state systems. While its influence on electronic transport is well established, the role of anisotropy in magnon spin transport in van der Waals magnets is largely unexplored. Here, in a nonlocal geometry, utilizing the monoclinic van der Waals antiferromagnet CrPS$_4$, we observe pronounced anisotropy in both electrically and in thermally excited magnon spin transport. Electrically generated magnons exhibit a magnon spin conductivity at least 2.2 times larger and a spin diffusion length at least 2.7 times longer for transport along the crystallographic-b axis compared to the crystallographic-a axis, where $λ_m^{a} \sim$ 211 nm and $λ_m^{b} \geq$ 575 nm. In comparison, at 8T, we find the nonlocal second-harmonic resistance associated with thermally excited magnons to be $\sim$7 times larger along the crystallographic-b axis at 25K. We further show that a magnon spin diffusion length cannot be reliably extracted from the nonlocal second-harmonic resistance, owing to the extended temperature profile within CrPS$_4$. Likewise, we show that the anisotropy in the spin Seebeck coefficients cannot be reliably estimated from the thermally excited magnon spin transport alone, as it is intertwined with the anisotropic heat conductivity of CrPS$_4$. Utilizing the electrically generated magnon spin transport, we demonstrate that intrinsic crystalline anisotropy serves as an effective control parameter for tuning magnon spin transport, opening new avenues for magnonic device engineering.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Observation of room temperature intrinsic nonlinear thermoelectric effects in low-dimensional semimetals

Nonreciprocal control of thermoelectric responses offers a promising strategy for next-generation thermal-management and energy-conversion. While nonlinear electrical transport has recently emerged as an intrinsic property of low-symmetry quantum materials, their thermoelectric counterparts have not been demonstrated. Here, exploiting harmonic detection with gradient-reversal techniques, we report intrinsic nonlinear thermoelectric responses up to room temperature in the low-symmetry type-II Weyl semimetals $T_\mathrm{d}$-WTe$_2$ and TaIrTe$_4$ in the absence of magnetic fields or magnetic materials. We resolve all symmetry-allowed components of the second-order thermoelectric tensor, including the nonlinear Seebeck, nonlinear Nernst, and nonlinear mixed-directional thermoelectric effects and demonstrate that both Berry-curvature-related and scattering-induced contributions govern the different nonlinear thermoelectric responses. Our results show that nonlinear thermoelectricity arises intrinsically from reduced crystal symmetry and that engineering effects related to scattering in these materials provides a versatile platform for exploring higher-order heat-to-charge current conversion beyond the linear response.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Highly Polarized and Long Range Dissipationless Spin Transport Due to Counterflowing Electron and Hole Edge Channels

The presence of edge channels in the quantum Hall regime leads to dissipationless charge transport over long distances. When graphene is interfaced with a magnetic material, the exchange interaction lifts the Landau levels spin degeneracy. This causes the presence of counterflowing edge channels with opposite spin polarization. We show theoretically that the spin-flip scattering between these edge channels enables a dissipationless spin transport with larger than 100% spin polarization of the charge current. It also allows the transport of spin over macroscopically long distances, even in the absence of an applied charge current.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Gate control of magnon spin transport in unconventional magnon transistors based on the van der Waals antiferromagnet CrPS4

Magnon based spintronic devices require the modulation of magnon spin transport for their operations. We provide a proof-of-principle of an unconventional two-terminal non-local magnon transport device where the same contact is simultaneously used as injector and gate and an unconventional three-terminal non-local magnon transport device where the gate is positioned outside the magnon transport channel. In these devices we modulate the diffusive magnon transport of incoherent magnons in the van der Waals antiferromagnet Chromium thiophosphate, CrPS4. The non-local signals generated electrically by spin injection via the spin Hall effect (SHE) and thermally via the spin Seebeck effect (SSE) are altered by a modulator electrode. The current through the modulator increases or decreases the magnon chemical potential via the SHE and changes the magnon temperature through Joule heating. We achieve up to 25%/mA and 16%/mA modulation efficiencies for the electrically and thermally generated magnon spin transport, respectively, for CrPS4 in the collinear state at in plane fields >7T at a temperature of 25K.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Magnon spin transport in the van der Waals antiferromagnet CrPS4 for non-collinear and collinear magnetization

We investigate the injection, transport and detection of magnon spins in the van der Waals antiferromagnet chromium thiophosphate (CrPS4). We electrically and thermally inject magnon spins by platinum contacts and examine the non-local resistance as a function of in-plane magnetic field up to 12 Tesla. We observe a large non-local resistance from both the electrically and thermally excited magnon modes above the spin-flip field where CrPS4 is in the collinear state. At 25 K for an in-plane field of ranging 5 - 12 T, we extract the magnon relaxation length ranging $200-800$ nm and a typical magnon conductivity of 1e4 Sm-1, which is one order of magnitude smaller than in yttrium iron garnet (YIG) films at room temperature. Moreover, we find that the magnon conductivity is almost zero for CrPS4 in the non-collinear state. Our results open up the way to understanding the role of the antiferromagnetic magnon modes on spin injection into antiferromagnets and implementation of two-dimensional magnets for scalable magnonic circuits.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Inverted Hanle spin precession induced magnetoresistance in chiral/semiconductor systems

In the past decade, chiral materials have drawn significant attention because it is widely claimed that they can act as spin injectors/detectors due to the chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. Nevertheless, the microscopic origin of this effect is not understood, and there is an intensive discussion about the manifestation of the magnetoresistance that is generated between a chiral system and a ferromagnet. Hanle spin precession measurements can unambiguously prove the injection and detection of a spin accumulation in a non-magnetic material, as was shown with traditional ferromagnetic injectors/detectors. Here, we analyze in detail the Hanle spin precession induced magnetoresistance and find that it is inverted as compared to the ferromagnetic case. We explicitly model the spin injection and detection by both a chiral system and a ferromagnetic system, as well as the spin transport in a semiconductor, for a general set of (spin) transport parameters that cover the relevant experimental regime. For all sets of parameters, we find that the Hanle signals for a chiral system and ferromagnet are each others opposites.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

A mechanism for electrostatically generated magnetoresistance in chiral systems without spin-dependent transport

Significant attention has been drawn to electronic transport in chiral materials coupled to ferromagnets in the chirality induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. A large magnetoresistance (MR) is usually observed which is widely interpreted to originate from spin (dependent) transport. However, there are severe discrepancies between the experimental results and theoretical interpretations, most notably the apparent failure of the Onsager reciprocity relation in the linear response regime. We provide an alternative explanation for the mechanism of the two terminal MR in chiral systems coupled to a ferromagnet. For this we point out that it was observed that the electrostatic contact potential of chiral materials on a ferromagnet depends on the magnetization direction and chirality. In our explanation this causes the transport barrier to be modified by the magnetization direction, already in equilibrium, in the absence of a bias current. This strongly alters the charge transport through/over the barrier, not requiring spin transport. This provides a mechanism that allows the linear response resistance to be sensitive to the magnetization direction and also explains the failure of the Onsager reciprocity relations. We propose experimental configurations to confirm our alternative mechanism for MR.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Electrostatically controlled spin polarization in Graphene-CrSBr magnetic proximity heterostructures

The magnetic proximity effect can induce a spin dependent exchange shift in the band structure of graphene. This produces a magnetization and a spin polarization of the electron/hole carriers in this material, paving the way for its use as an active component in spintronics devices. The electrostatic control of this spin polarization in graphene has however never been demonstrated so far. We show that interfacing graphene with the van der Waals antiferromagnet CrSBr results in an unconventional manifestation of the quantum Hall effect, which can be attributed to the presence of counterflowing spin-polarized edge channels originating from the spin-dependent exchange shift in graphene. We extract an exchange shift ranging from 27 to 32 meV, and show that it also produces an electrostatically tunable spin polarization of the electron/hole carriers in graphene ranging from -50 % to +69 % in the absence of a magnetic field. This proof of principle provides a starting point for the use of graphene as an electrostatically tunable source of spin current and could allow this system to generate a large magnetoresistance in gate tunable spin valve devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Fabrication of damage-free and/or contamination-free sub-um electrodes using PMMA masks

Quality of the electrical contacts and interfaces in various metal/semiconductor/insulator heterostructures is one of the pivotal aspects in both applied and fundamental research areas. For instance, non-optimal contact resistance can limit the overall efficiency of a certain developed technology and thus considerably narrow the range or fully block its practical application. On the other hand in fundamental research it is often the case that the manifestation of targeted phenomenon crucially depends on the level of contamination in the fabricated experimental samples. Here we offer a set of recipes that are aimed at contamination-free and damage-free fabrication of the devices, mostly developed for the two dimensional materials, but nevertheless applicable for a wider range of the systems, where the quality of the interfaces and/or non-invasiveness of the fabrication recipes are important. Our recipes are based on the preparation of the flexible PMMA membranes, with the help of which we can prepare residue-free or damage-free electrical connections to the studied material.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Magnon confinement in an all-on-chip YIG cavity resonator using hybrid YIG/Py magnon barriers

Confining magnons in cavities can introduce new functionalities to magnonic devices, enabling future magnonic structures to emulate established photonic and electronic components. As a proof-of-concept, we report magnon confinement in a lithographically defined all-on-chip YIG cavity created between two YIG/Permalloy bilayers. We take advantage of the modified magnetic properties of covered/uncovered YIG film to define on-chip distinct regions with boundaries capable of confining magnons. We confirm this by measuring multiple spin pumping voltage peaks in a 400 nm wide platinum strip placed along the center of the cavity. These peaks coincide with multiple spin-wave resonance modes calculated for a YIG slab with the corresponding geometry. The fabrication of micrometer-sized YIG cavities following this technique represents a new approach to control coherent magnons, while the spin pumping voltage in a nanometer-sized Pt strip demonstrates to be a non-invasive local detector of the magnon resonance intensity.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Crystallographic-dependent bilinear magnetoelectric resistance in a thin WTe$_2$ layer

The recently reported Bilinear Magnetoeletric Resistance (BMR) in novel materials with rich spin textures, such as bismuth selenide (Bi$_2$Se$_3$) and tungsten ditelluride (WTe$_2$), opens new possibilities for probing the spin textures via magneto-transport measurements. By its nature, the BMR effect is directly linked to the crystal symmetry of the materials and its spin texture. Therefore, understanding the crystallographic dependency of the effect is crucial. Here we report the observation of crystallographic-dependent BMR in thin WTe$_2$ layers and explore how it is linked to its spin textures. The linear response measured in first harmonic signals and the BMR measured in second harmonic signals are both studied under a wide range of magnitudes and directions of magnetic field, applied current and at different temperatures. We discover a three-fold symmetry contribution of the BMR when current is applied along the a-axis of the WTe$_2$ thin layer at 10 K, which is absent for when current is applied along the b-axis.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Long distance magnon transport in the van der Waals antiferromagnet CrPS$_4$

We demonstrate the potential of van der Waals magnets for spintronic applications by reporting long-distance magnon spin transport in the electrically insulating antiferromagnet chromium thiophosphate (CrPS$_4$) with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. We inject and detect magnon spins non-locally by Pt contacts and monitor the non-local resistance as a function of an in-plane magnetic field up to 7 Tesla. We observe a non-local resistance over distances up to at least a micron below the Neel temperature (T$_{\rm N}$ = 38 Kelvin) close to magnetic field strengths that saturate the sublattice magnetizations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Towards fully two-dimensional spintronic devices

Within the field of spintronics major efforts are directed towards developing applications for spin-based transport devices made fully out of two-dimensional (2D) materials. In this work we present an experimental realization of a spin-valve device where the generation of the spin signal is exclusively attributed to the spin-dependent conductivity of the magnetic graphene resulting from the proximity of an interlayer antiferromagnet, CrSBr. We clearly demonstrate that the usage of the conventional 3D magnetic contacts, that are commonly air-sensitive and incompatible with practical technologies, can be fully avoided when graphene/CrSBr heterostructures are employed. Moreover, apart from providing exceptionally long spin relaxation length, the usage of graphene for both generation and transport of the spin allows to automatically avoid the conductivity mismatch between the source and the channel circuits that has to be considered when using conventional low-resistive contacts. Our results address a necessary step in the engineering of spintronic circuitry out of layered materials and precede further developments in the area of complex spin-logic devices. Moreover, we introduce a fabrication procedure where we designed and implemented a recipe for the preparation of electrodes via a damage-free technique that offers an immediate advantage in the fields of air-sensitive and delicate organic materials.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Linear-response magnetoresistance effects in chiral systems

The chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect enables the detection of chirality as electrical charge signals. It is often studied using a two-terminal circuit geometry where a ferromagnet is connected to a chiral component, and a change of electrical resistance is reported upon magnetization reversal. This is however not expected in the linear response regime because of compensating reciprocal processes, limiting the interpretation of experimental results. Here we show that magnetoresistance effects can indeed appear even in the linear response regime, either by changing the magnitude or the direction of the magnetization or an applied magnetic field. We illustrate this in a spin-valve device and in a chiral thin film as the CISS-induced Hanle magnetoresistance (CHMR) effect. This effect helps to distinguish spin-transport-related effects from other effects, and can thereby provide further insight into the origin of CISS.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Interfacial Spin-Orbit Torques and Magnetic Anisotropy in WSe$_{2}$/Permalloy Bilayers

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are promising materials for efficient generation of current-induced spin-orbit torques on an adjacent ferromagnetic layer. Numerous effects, both interfacial and bulk, have been put forward to explain the different torques previously observed. Thus far, however, there is no clear consensus on the microscopic origin underlying the spin-orbit torques observed in these TMD/ferromagnet bilayers. To shine light on the microscopic mechanisms at play, here we perform thickness dependent spin-orbit torque measurements on the semiconducting WSe$_{2}$/permalloy bilayer with various WSe$_{2}$ layer thickness, down to the monolayer limit. We observe a large out-of-plane field-like torque with spin-torque conductivities up to $1\times10^4 ({\hbar}/2e) (Ωm)^{-1}$. For some devices, we also observe a smaller in-plane antidamping-like torque, with spin-torque conductivities up to $4\times10^{3} ({\hbar}/2e) (Ωm)^{-1}$, comparable to other TMD-based systems. Both torques show no clear dependence on the WSe$_{2}$ thickness, as expected for a Rashba system. Unexpectedly, we observe a strong in-plane magnetic anisotropy - up to about $6.6\times10^{4} erg/cm^{3}$ - induced in permalloy by the underlying hexagonal WSe$_{2}$ crystal. Using scanning transmission electron microscopy, we confirm that the easy axis of the magnetic anisotropy is aligned to the armchair direction of the WSe$_{2}$. Our results indicate a strong interplay between the ferromagnet and TMD, and unveil the nature of the spin-orbit torques in TMD-based devices. These findings open new avenues for possible methods for optimizing the torques and the interaction with interfaced magnets, important for future non-volatile magnetic devices for data processing and storage.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Role of NiO in the nonlocal spin transport through thin NiO films on Y$_3$Fe$_5$O$_{12}$

In spin transport experiments with spin currents propagating through antiferromagnetic (AFM) material, the antiferromagnet is treated as a mainly passive spin conductor not generating nor adding any spin current to the system. The spin current transmissivity of the AFM NiO is affected by magnetic fluctuations, peaking at the Néel temperature and decreasing by lowering the temperature. In order to study the role of the AFM in local and nonlocal spin transport experiments, we send spin currents through NiO of various thickness placed on Y$_3$Fe$_5$O$_{12}$. The spin currents are injected either electrically or by thermal gradients and measured at a wide range of temperatures and magnetic field strengths. The transmissive role is reflected in the sign change of the local electrically injected signals and the decrease in signal strength of all other signals by lowering the temperature. The thermally generated signals, however, show an additional upturn below 100$\,$K which are unaffected by an increased NiO thickness. A change in the thermal conductivity could affect these signals. The temperature and magnetic field dependence is similar as for bulk NiO, indicating that NiO itself contributes to thermally induced spin currents.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Non-local spin Seebeck effect in the bulk easy-plane antiferromagnet NiO

We report the observation of magnon spin currents generated by the Spin Seebeck effect (SSE) in a bulk single crystal of the easy-plane antiferromagnet NiO. A magnetic field induces a non-degeneracy and thereby an imbalance in the population of magnon modes with opposite spin. A temperature gradient then gives rise to a non-zero magnon spin current. This SSE is measured both in a local and a non-local geometry at 5$\,$K in bulk NiO. The magnetic field dependence of the obtained signal is modelled by magnetic field splitting of the low energy magnon modes, affecting the spin Seebeck coefficient. The relevant magnon modes at this temperature are linked to cubic anisotropy and magnetic dipole-dipole interactions. The non-local signal deviates from the expected quadratic Joule heating by saturating at a current from around 75$\,μA$ in the injector. The magnon chemical potential does not decay exponentially with distance and inhomogeneities may be the result of local magnon accumulations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

The role of device asymmetries and Schottky barriers on the helicity-dependent photoresponse of 2D phototransistors

Circular photocurrents (CPC), namely circular photogalvanic (CPGE) and photon drag effects, have recently been reported both in monolayer and multilayer transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) phototransistors. However, the underlying physics for the emergence of these effects are not yet fully understood. In particular, the emergence of CPGE is not compatible with the D3h crystal symmetry of two-dimensional TMDs, and should only be possible if the symmetry of the electronic states is reduced by influences such as an external electric field or mechanical strain. Schottky contacts, nearly ubiquitous in TMD-based transistors, can provide the high electric fields causing a symmetry breaking in the devices. Here, we investigate the effect of these Schottky contacts on the CPC by characterizing the helicity-dependent photoresponse of monolayer MoSe2 devices both with direct metal-MoSe2 Schottky contacts and with h-BN tunnel barriers at the contacts. We find that, when Schottky barriers are present in the device, additional contributions to CPC become allowed, resulting in emergence of CPC for illumination at normal incidence.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗