Janus monolayers of magnetic transition metal dichalcogenides as an all-in-one platform for spin-orbit torque

We theoretically predict that vanadium-based Janus dichalcogenide monolayers constitute an ideal platform for spin-orbit torque memories. Using first-principles calculations, we demonstrate that magnetic exchange and magnetic anisotropy energies are higher for heavier chalcogen atoms, while the broken inversion symmetry in the Janus form leads to the emergence of Rashba-like spin-orbit coupling. The spin-orbit torque efficiency is evaluated using optimized quantum transport methodology and found to be comparable to heavy nonmagnetic metals. The coexistence of magnetism and spin-orbit coupling in such materials with tunable Fermi-level opens new possibilities for monitoring magnetization dynamics in the perspective of nonvolatile magnetic random access memories.

Automated summary

Theoretical predictions suggest that vanadium-based Janus dichalcogenide monolayers are an ideal platform for spin-orbit torque memories. First-principles calculations show that the magnetic exchange and anisotropy energies are higher for heavier chalcogen atoms, with the Janus structure leading to the emergence of Rashba-like spin-orbit coupling. The efficiency of spin-orbit torque is comparable to heavy nonmagnetic metals, and the coexistence of magnetism and spin-orbit coupling in these materials opens up new possibilities for nonvolatile magnetic random access memories.