Van der Waals Magnet based Spin-Valve Devices at Room Temperature

The discovery of van der Waals (vdW) magnets opened up a new paradigm for condensed matter physics and spintronic technologies. However, the operations of active spintronic devices with vdW magnets are so far limited to cryogenic temperatures, inhibiting its broader practical applications. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate room temperature spin-valve devices using vdW itinerant ferromagnet Fe5GeTe2 in heterostructures with graphene. The tunnel spin polarization of the Fe5GeTe2/graphene vdW interface is detected to be significantly large ~ 45 % and negative at room temperature. Lateral spin-valve device design enables electrical control of spin signal and realization of basic building blocks for device application such as efficient spin injection, transport, precession, and detection functionalities. Furthermore, measurements with different magnetic orientations provide unique insights into the magnetic anisotropy of Fe5GeTe2 and its relation with spin polarization and dynamics in the heterostructure. These findings open opportunities for the applications of vdW magnet-based all-2D spintronic devices and integrated spin circuits at ambient temperatures.