The van der Waals antiferromagnetic proximity effect at the FePS3/Pt uncompensated interface

Abstract

van der Waals antiferromagnetic insulators are emerging as promising candidates for spintronics and quantum computing due to their unique magnetic properties. However, detecting antiferromagnetism at the atomic scale remains challenging due to compensated spin order. In this study, we present a novel approach to observe the antiferromagnetic proximity effect in FePS₃/Pt heterostructures. This effect arises from interfacial magnetic moments, which induce significant spin polarization in the Pt layer via strong interlayer exchange interactions. As a result, a pronounced anomalous Hall effect is observed in the Pt layer. Fe atom vacancies at the FePS₃/Pt interface play a critical role in creating localized surface magnetic moments and enhancing exchange interactions. These findings shed light on the complex interplay between two-dimensional antiferromagnetic insulators and heavy metals with strong spin–orbit coupling, providing a promising strategy to exploit interfacial effects for creating magnetization in antiferromagnetic materials.