Visualizing thickness-dependent magnetic textures in few-layer ${\text{Cr}}_2{\text{Ge}}_2{\text{Te}}_6$

Abstract

Magnetic ordering in two-dimensional (2D) materials has recently emerged as a promising platform for data storage, computing, and sensing. To advance these developments, it is vital to gain a detailed understanding of how the magnetic order evolves on the nanometer-scale as a function of the number of atomic layers and applied magnetic field. Here, we image few-layer ${\text{Cr}}_2{\text{Ge}}_2{\text{Te}}_6$ using a combined scanning superconducting quantum interference device and atomic force microscopy probe. Maps of the material's stray magnetic field as a function of applied magnetic field reveal its magnetization per layer as well as the thickness-dependent magnetic texture. Using a micromagnetic model, we correlate measured stray-field patterns with the underlying magnetization configurations, including labyrinth domains and skyrmionic bubbles. Comparison between real-space images and simulations demonstrates that the layer dependence of the material's magnetic texture is a result of the thickness-dependent balance between crystalline and shape anisotropy. These findings represent an important step towards 2D spintronic devices with engineered spin configurations and controlled dependence on external magnetic fields.

arXiv comment15 pages, 4 figures, and supplementary information

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Cited by in corpus (3)

• Anomalous size dependence of the coercivity of nanopatterned CrGeTe3
• Advanced SQUID-on-lever scanning probe for high-sensitivity magnetic microscopy with sub-100-nm spatial resolution
• Strain-Mediated Lattice Reconstruction Enhances Ferromagnetism in Cr2Ge2Te6/WTe2 van der Waals Heterobilayers