Large proximity-induced spin lifetime anisotropy in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide/graphene heterostructures

Van-der-Waals heterostructures of layered materials become more and more popular as they offer a powerful playground that allows for a simple method for combining the properties of two different materials while searching for a desired functionality. An outstanding example is a double layer hybrid that consists of a transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) and graphene. In this case the excellent transport properties of graphene are enriched with a large and anisotropic spin-orbit coupling of TMD.
In this work we study a heterostructure of monolayers MoSe₂ and graphene, and demonstrate a prominent manifestation of a different spin transport behavior as compared to the conventional graphene devices. Via the proximity interaction MoSe₂ implants the anisotropic spin-orbit coupling into graphene and causes a dramatic difference between the in- and out-of-plane spin lifetimes, the ratio of which we estimate from our measurements to be about 11. Our results provide further insight into the nature of the valley locked spin dynamics in graphene/TMD hybrids and offer a technique for efficient spin filtering/manipulation.
arXiv:1708.04067, submitted to Nanoletters.