Jobu Matsuno

Spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) is an intriguing spin-dependent transport phenomenon in bilayers consisting of non-magnetic and magnetic layers. Here, we report on the influence of longitudinal spin current absorption by the magnetic layer on SMR in bilayers composed of Co₂₀Fe₆₀B₂₀ (CoFeB) and epitaxial SrIrO₃, where SrIrO₃ is used as a highly resistive spin current source. We observed a clear SMR signal and an enhancement in the SMR ratio with increasing CoFeB layer thickness, in qualitative agreement with an SMR model that incorporates the spin current absorption. The effective spin Hall angle is corrected from 0.07 to 0.12 with consideration of the spin current absorption, corresponding to a relative correction of ∼71%. Our findings highlight the pronounced impact of the spin current absorption by the magnetic layer on the SMR mechanism when employing highly resistive non-magnetic layer such as SrIrO₃, as well as other emerging quantum materials.

We report on epitaxial growth in thin-film synthesis of a polar magnetic semiconductor, AgCrSe2, on a lattice-matched yttria-stabilized zirconia (111) substrate by pulsed-layer deposition (PLD). By using an Ag-rich PLD target to compensate for Ag deficiency in thin films, the nucleation of impurity phases is suppressed, resulting in the c-axis-oriented and single-phase AgCrSe2 thin film. Structural analysis using x-ray diffraction and cross-sectional scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals epitaxial growth with the presence of both twisted and polar domains. Optical absorbance spectrum and magnetization measurements show an absorption edge at around 0.84 eV and a magnetic transition temperature at 41 K, respectively. These values are consistent with the reported values of direct bandgap and Néel temperature of bulk AgCrSe2, reflecting a single-phase and stoichiometric feature of the obtained film. Our demonstration of epitaxial thin-film growth of AgCrSe2 serves as a bedrock for exploration of its potential thermoelectric and spintronic functionalities at surfaces or heterointerfaces.

Epitaxial thin-film growth is a versatile and powerful technique for achieving precise control of composition, stabilizing non-equilibrium phases, tailoring growth orientation, as well as forming heterointerfaces of various quantum materials. For the synthesis of highly crystalline thin films, an in-depth understanding of the epitaxial relationship between the desired thin film and the single-crystalline substrates is necessary. In this study, we investigate the epitaxial relationship in thin-film growth of triangular-lattice antiferromagnet CrSe on the (001) plane of Al₂O₃ and the lattice-matched (111) plane of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates. Structural characterization using out-of-plane and in-plane X-ray diffraction shows that the 19.1°-twisted domains of CrSe significantly dominate the aligned domain on the Al₂O₃ substrate while it reveals a single-domain formation on the YSZ substrate. The stability of the 19.1°-twisted domain rather than the aligned domain can be explained by rotational commensurate epitaxy, which is well reproduced by density functional theory calculations. The single-domain CrSe thin film on the YSZ substrate exhibits a superior metallic conductivity compared to the twisted-domain thin film on the Al₂O₃ substrate, implying the contribution of the grain boundary scattering mechanism to electrical transport.

Transition metal oxides are a platform for exploring strain-engineered intriguing physical properties and developing spintronic or flexible electronic functionalities owing to the strong coupling of spin, charge, and lattice degrees of freedom. In this study, we exemplify the strain-engineered magnetism of La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 in freestanding and rippled membrane forms without and with process-induced strain, respectively, prepared by the epitaxial lift-off technique. We find that the deposition of the Pt/Ti stressor suppresses the crack formation in the lift-off process and induces a ripple structure in the La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 membrane. Laser micrograph and Raman spectroscopy show a ripple period of about 30 μm and a height of a few μm, where alternating convex and concave structures are subjected to a tensile strain of 0.6% and a compressive strain of 0.5%, respectively. While the freestanding La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 membrane exhibits room-temperature ferromagnetism, the macroscopic magnetic transition temperature (TC) of the rippled membrane is reduced by as much as 27%. Temperature-variable Kerr microscopy observation in the rippled membrane reveals that the spatial variation of TC is ∼4% of the macroscopic TC, which coincides with the local strains at convex and concave structures. The large reduction of macroscopic TC in the rippled membrane may be ascribed to the lattice disorders due to the strain gradient. Our demonstration of tuning ferromagnetism by the ripple structure validates the high potential of the process-induced strain in the epitaxial lift-off technique and paves the way for strain-mediated emerging physical properties in various transition metal oxides.

An antiferromagnetic metal with a two-dimensional triangular network offers a unique playground of intriguing magneto-transport properties and functionalities stemming from the interplay between conducting electrons and intricate magnetic phases. A NiAs-type CrSe is one of the candidates owing to alternate stackings of Cr and Se triangular atomic networks in its crystal structure. While the fabrication of CrSe thin films is indispensable to develop functional devices, studies on its thin-film properties have been limited to date due to the lack of metallic samples. Here, we report on the realization of metallic conductivities of CrSe thin films, which allows us to investigate their intrinsic magneto-transport properties. The metallic sample exhibits a co-occurrence of weak ferromagnetism with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and antiferromagnetic behavior, indicating the presence of non-coplanar spin structures. In addition, control of the polarity and tilting angle of the non-coplanar spin structure is accomplished by a sign of cooling magnetic fields. The observed non-coplanar spin structure, which can be a source of emergent magnetic field acting on the conducting electrons, highlights the high potential of the triangular lattice antiferromagnet and provides a unique platform for functional thin-film devices composed of NiAs-type derivative Cr chalcogenides and pnictides.