Perpendicular antiferromagnetic ordering and canted spins in van der Waals FePS3 probed by spin Hall magnetoresistance

Van der Waals antiferromagnets (AFMs) provide a two-dimensional (2D) platform for spintronic devices with exceptional properties. However, the electric transport features of the magnetic order of van der Waals AFM influenced by different field directions and amplitudes has not been demonstrated systematically. In this letter, we investigate the magnetic texture of the exfoliated van der Waals FePS3, a uniaxial AFM with perpendicular anisotropy, detected by the spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR). Magnetic field- and temperature- dependent longitudinal magnetoresistance measurements in three orthogonal directions for the exfoliated FePS3/Pt nanostructures are conducted. The modulations in the SMR signal enable the separation of two contributions to the SMR, one of which corresponds to the negative signature of AFM SMR caused by in-plane field rotations, and the other of which is caused by canted spins in perpendicular AFM order. Our findings offer great guidance for further research and investigation using SMR approach of the magnetic texture in van der Waals AFMs.

Automated summary

In this study, the magnetic texture of exfoliated van der Waals FePS3 was investigated using spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) measurements. The results showed that the SMR signal exhibited a negative feature corresponding to antiferromagnetic SMR during in-plane field rotations, while the perpendicular field induced changes in the SMR signal due to canted spins. These findings provide important guidance for further research on the magnetic texture of van der Waals antiferromagnetic materials using the SMR approach.