Laser-Induced Ultrafast Spin Injection in All-Semiconductor Magnetic CrI3/WSe2 Heterobilayer

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Yilv Guo - , Southeast University, Nanjing, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Yehui Zhang - , Southeast University, Nanjing (Author)
  • Qing Long Liu - , TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Zhaobo Zhou - , Charles University Prague (Author)
  • Junjie He - , Charles University Prague (Author)
  • Shijun Yuan - , Southeast University, Nanjing (Author)
  • Thomas Heine - , Chair of Theoretical Chemistry, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Jinlan Wang - , Southeast University, Nanjing, Suzhou Laboratory (Author)

Abstract

Spin injection stands out as a crucial method employed for initializing, manipulating, and measuring the spin states of electrons, which are fundamental to the creation of qubits in quantum computing. However, ensuring efficient spin injection while maintaining compatibility with standard semiconductor processing techniques is a significant challenge. Herein, we demonstrate the capability of inducing an ultrafast spin injection into a WSe2 layer from a magnetic CrI3 layer on a femtosecond time scale, achieved through real-time time-dependent density functional theory calculations upon a laser pulse. Following the peak of the magnetic moment in the CrI3 sublayer, the magnetic moment of the WSe2 layer reaches a maximum of 0.89 μB (per unit cell containing 4 WSe2 and 1 CrI3 units). During the spin dynamics, spin-polarized excited electrons transfer from the WSe2 layer to the CrI3 layer via type-II band alignment. The large spin splitting in conduction bands and the difference in the number of spin-polarized local unoccupied states available in the CrI3 layer lead to a net spin in the WSe2 layer. Furthermore, we confirmed that the number of available states, the spin-flip process, and the laser pulse parameters play important roles during the spin injection process. This work highlights the dynamic and rapid nature of spin manipulation in layered all-semiconductor systems, offering significant implications for the development and enhancement of quantum information processing technologies.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)11732-11739
Number of pages8
JournalACS nano
Volume18
Issue number18
Publication statusPublished - 7 May 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 38670539

Keywords

Keywords

  • all-semiconductor magnetic heterobilayer, laser-driven spin dynamics, out-of-equilibrium spin populations, real-time density functional theory, spin injection