Paper on Magnetic Imaging of 2D Cr2Ge2Te6 Published

On the 19th, Communications Materials published our article entitled, Visualizing thickness-dependent magnetic textures in few-layer Cr2Ge2Te6. Therein we describe magnetic imaging experiments on few-layer Cr2Ge2Te6 using a combined scanning superconducting quantum interference device and atomic force microscopy probe. Maps of the material’s stray magnetic field as a function of applied magnetic field reveal its magnetization per layer as well as the thickness-dependent magnetic texture. Using a micromagnetic model, we correlate measured stray-field patterns with the underlying magnetization configurations, including labyrinth domains and skyrmionic bubbles. By Comparing between real-space images and simulations, we demonstrate that the layer dependence of the material’s magnetic texture is a result of the thickness-dependent balance between crystalline and shape anisotropy. These findings represent an important step towards 2D spintronic devices with engineered spin configurations and controlled dependence on external magnetic fields.