Room temperature energy-efficient spin-orbit torque switching in two-dimensional van der Waals Fe₃GeTe₂ induced by topological insulators

Two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetic materials hold promise for next-generation spintronic devices. This paper demonstrates room-temperature spin-orbit torque (SOT) driven magnetization switching in an all-van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure of Bi₂Te₃/Fe₃GeTe₂ (FGT). The topological insulator Bi₂Te₃ enhances FGT's Curie temperature and acts as a spin current source, enabling switching at a low current density (~2.2 × 10⁵ A/cm²) with SOT efficiency of ~2.69. Temperature and thickness-dependent SOT efficiency confirm the topological origin of the enhanced SOT. This all-vdW SOT structure lays a foundation for room-temperature 2D spintronic devices.

Haiyu Wang, Hao Wu, Jie Zhang, Yingjie Liu, Dongdong Chen, Chandan Pandey, Jialiang Yin, Dahai Wei, Na Lei, Shuyuan Shi, Haichang Lu, Peng Li, Albert Fert, Kang L. Wang, Tianxiao Nie, Weisheng Zhao