Gate-tunable spin devices based on Spin-orbitronic Engineering in Two-Dimensional Metal Monochalcogenides.

电子具有固有的自旋，使它们的行为像微小的条形磁铁。自旋电子学是对材料中电子自旋的控制和操纵，已经导致了数十亿美元的应用，如磁性硬盘驱动器和磁性随机存取存储器。在许多材料中，电子的自旋和空间运动是联系在一起的，这种自旋-轨道耦合导致了各种自旋电子学和量子信息的应用。虽然传统上自旋-轨道耦合强度对于每种材料是固定的，但在厚度仅为几个原子层的二维材料中，它是高度可调的。该研究计划利用这种可调自旋轨道耦合来创建二维材料自旋器件，包括将自旋电流转换为电荷电流的可调晶体管，以及实现长距离自旋传输的晶体管。这项研究将与下一代STEM工作组的研究生和本科生的教育和培训相结合。此外，还将注意利用现有的大学项目，包括REU、物理系高中辅导和指导项目、少数民族硕士到博士桥梁项目和POLARIS项目，从代表性不足的群体中招募、培训和指导学生，为学术界、政府和工业界的职业生涯做准备。以及具有前所未有的可调性的应用程序。该研究计划开发电控和可调自旋轨道电子应用，使用高迁移率少层InSe，主机大可调自旋轨道耦合。具体而言，这些推力包括（1）。证明了通过自旋霍尔和埃德尔斯坦效应及其昂萨格倒数的可调自旋-电荷相互转换，并且具有可逆的自旋极化;（2）.实现用于远程自旋输运的自旋螺旋状态;以及（3）.探索自旋和电荷输运的周期性二维自旋轨道晶格，可以产生拓扑非平凡的磁性纹理的存在。这些项目从根本上推进了货车德瓦耳斯异质结构中的自旋轨道电子工程，可用于可调谐的自旋电子和拓扑器件。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Electrons have an intrinsic spin, making them behave like tiny bar magnets. Spintronics, the control and manipulation of electron spin in a material, has led to multibillion dollar applications such as magnetic hard drives and magnetic random access memory. In many materials, electrons’ spin and spatial motion are linked, and such spin-orbit coupling has led to a variety of spintronic and quantum information applications. Though conventionally the spin-orbit coupling strength is fixed for each material, it is highly tunable in two-dimensional materials that are only a few atomic layers in thickness. This research program takes advantage of this tunable spin-orbit coupling to create two-dimensional material spin devices, including tunable transistors that convert spin currents to charge currents, and transistors enabling long-distance spin transport. This research will be integrated with education and training of graduate and undergraduate students for next generation of STEM task force. In addition, attention will be placed in recruiting, training, and mentoring students from under-represented groups by leveraging existing university programs, including REU, High School Tutoring and Mentoring Program in the Department of Physics, Minority Masters to PhD Bridge, and POLARIS programs, for preparing careers in academia, government and industry.Two-dimensional materials offer new platforms for spin-orbitronic phenomena, devices, and applications with unprecedented tunability. This research program develops electrically controlled and tunable spin-orbitronic applications, using high mobility few-layer InSe that hosts large tunable spin-orbit coupling. Specifically, the thrusts include (1). demonstrating tunable spin-charge interconversion via spin Hall and Edelstein effects and their Onsager reciprocals, and with reversible spin-polarization; (2). realizing a spin helix state for long-ranged spin transport; and (3). exploring spin and charge transport in the presence of periodic 2D spin-orbit lattices that could produce topologically non-trivial magnetic textures. These projects fundamentally advance spin-orbitronic engineering in van der Waals heterostructures, which can be utilized towards spintronic and topological devices that are tunable in operando.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.