Edge Effects in Transition Metal Dichalcogenides on Antiferromagnetic Substrates*

We explore proximity-induced antiferromagnetism (AFM) on transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD), focusing on molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe₂) ribbons with zigzag and/or armchair edges, deposited on AFM substrates with diverse AFM orders, such as prospective candidates MnO, CoO or MnPX₃ (X = S; Se) substrates. We model the heterostructure in real space with a tight-binding model, incorporating the exchange and Rashba fields induced by proximity from the substrate. For the zigzag terminated TMDs, we find augmented Rashba SOC and Rashba type spin splittings for midgap states. For the armchair terminated TMDs, we find propagating pseudohelical edge modes, as well as either gapped or gapless edge modes depending on the ribbon’s width. We also explore the creation of spin polarized currents on these edges. These hybrid structures 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, Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 086401 (2019).
[2] N. Cortes et al, in preparation (2019).