Tunable spin-polarized edge currents in proximitized transition metal dichalcogenides

We explore proximity-induced ferromagnetism on transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD), focusing on molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe₂) ribbons with zigzag edges, deposited on ferromagnetic europium oxide (EuO). A three-orbital tight-binding model allows modeling MoTe₂ monolayer structures in real space, incorporating the exchange and Rashba fields induced by proximity to the EuO substrate. For in-gap Fermi levels, electronic modes in the nanoribbon are strongly spin-polarized and localized along the edges, acting as 1D conducting channels with tunable spin-polarized currents. We also study the effect of atomic defects on the 1D conducting channels and on the spin-polarized currents, finding a nonvanishing spin-polarized current even in the presence of either Te and/or Mo vacancies. Hybrid structures such as the MoTe₂/EuO configuration can serve as building blocks for spintronic devices and provide versatile platforms to further understand proximity effects in diverse materials systems.

[1] N. Cortes et al., arXiv:1807.05316 (2018).