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With the rapid development of information technology, our demand for data storage is increasing. Traditional storage technologies are gradually unable to meet the requirements of massive data storage and fast read-write speed. Therefore, exploring new storage technologies has become a current research hotspot. Two-dimensional magnetic materials, due to their unique physical properties, have shown great potential in spintronics and optoelectronics, providing new possibilities for the innovation of future storage technologies.Methods
This study has achieved optical-magnetic control of the two-dimensional magnet Fe₃GeTe₂ using a mixed-dimensional heterostructure. They combined a surface-oxidized Fe₃GeTe₂ nanosheet with a single semiconductor ZnO nanorod to construct a unique 1D/2D mixed-dimensional heterostructure. By applying strain to the Fe₃GeTe₂ nanosheet through the surface curvature of the ZnO nanorod, and utilizing the oxygen vacancy defects in ZnO, they achieved optical control of the magnetism of Fe₃GeTe₂ at room temperature.Highlights
Room-temperature optical-magnetic control: Through the synergistic effect of strain and defects, optical control of the magnetism of the two-dimensional magnet Fe₃GeTe₂ can be achieved at room temperature without an external magnetic field.
Spin photodiode: The spin photodiode based on this heterostructure exhibits excellent performance, including enhanced photocurrent, fast response speed, polarization detection capability, and imaging performance.
This research not only provides new ideas for optimizing the optoelectronic properties of traditional semiconductors, but also lays the foundation for the development of complex-dimensional spin optoelectronic devices. More importantly, the successful development of room-temperature optical-magnetic control of two-dimensional magnets and spin photodiodes brings new hope for future storage technologies.![]()
Fig. 1. The charge transfer and energy level changes in the heterostructure under different light conditions, demonstrating the mechanism of photo-induced magnetism modulation.![]()
Fig. 2. The working principle, electrical and optical properties, and performance of the fabricated spin photodiode device.
Authors
The first author of this work is Prof. Liang Hu from Hangzhou Dianzi University. The corresponding author of this work is Prof. Ling-Wei Li from Hangzhou Dianzi University.
L. Hu, F. Liu, Q. Quan, C. Lu, S. Yu, L. Li, Strained van der Waals Metallic Magnet for Photomagnetic Modulation and Spin Photodiode Application, Advanced Functional Materials, 2409085. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202409085.
