Real-space topology-engineering of skyrmionic spin textures in a van der Waals ferromagnet Fe3GaTe2

Oct 4, 2024

Nano Letters, DOI:10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c04031 (2024) / arXiv:2407.16924

Shuo Mi, Jianfeng Guo, Guojing Hu, Guangcheng Wang, Songyang Li, Zizhao Gong, Shuaizhao Jin, Rui Xu, Fei Pang, Wei Ji, Weiqiang Yu, Xiaolei Wang*, Xueyun Wang*, Haitao Yang*, Zhihai Cheng*

Realizing magnetic skyrmions in two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) ferromagnets offers unparalleled prospects for future spintronic applications. The room-temperature ferromagnet Fe3GaTe2 provides an ideal platform for tailoring these magnetic solitons. Here, skyrmions of distinct topological charges are artificially introduced and spatially engineered using magnetic force microscopy (MFM). The skyrmion lattice is realized by specific field-cooling process, and can be further controllably erased and painted via delicate manipulation of tip stray field. The skyrmion lattice with opposite topological charges (S = +1 or -1) can be tailored at the target regions to form topological skyrmion junctions (TSJs) with specific configurations. The delicate interplay of TSJs and spin-polarized device current were finally investigated via the in-situ transport measurements, alongside the topological stability of TSJs. Our results demonstrate that Fe3GaTe2 not only serves as a potential building block for room-temperature skyrmion-based spintronic devices, but also presents promising prospects for Fe3GaTe2-based heterostructures with the engineered topological spin textures.