Abstract
Recently, optically active spin defects embedded in two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) crystals have emerged as a transformative quantum sensing platform to explore cutting-edge materials science. Taking advantage of excellent solid-state integrability, this new class of spin defects can be readily arranged in nanoscale proximity to target materials, showing great promise for realizing in-situ quantum sensing of microscopic spin and charge behaviors in vdW heterostructures. Here we report hexagonal boron nitride-based quantum imaging of field-free deterministic magnetic switching and electric current distributions in an all-vdW spin-orbit torque (SOT) system. By visualizing variations of nanoscale magnetic stray field profile of room-temperature 2D magnet Fe3GaTe2 under different SOT conditions, we show how the magnetic switching evolves from deterministic to stochastic behavior due to the interplay between spin orientations, anisotropy and Joule heating. Micromagnetic simulations rationalize our results well, revealing the role of field-like SOT in inhibiting thermal fluctuation driven stochastic switching and chaotic multi-domain competition. This understanding, which is otherwise difficult to access by conventional transport measurements, offers valuable insights into material design, testing, and performance evaluation of next-generation vdW spintronic devices.
Funding
The quantum sensing measurements were supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (BES), under award No. DE-SC0024870. The 2D vdW device fabrication and electrical transport measurements were supported by U.S. National Science Foundation under award No. DMR-2342569, No. ECCS-2445826 and No. ECCS-2525800. Instrumental development for device characterizations was supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) under grant No. N00014-23-1-2146. The growth and characterization of Fe3GaTe2 single crystals were supported by the Center on Programmable Quantum Materials, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (BES), under award No. DE-SC0019443. K. D. and R. C. were supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Award No. DMR-2339315. L. Z. acknowledges the support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Basic Energy Science (BES), under award No. DE-SC0024145. R. H. acknowledges support from the US Department of Energy, Basic Energy Sciences, under award DE-SC0024147. N. A. acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation through the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at the University of Michigan, Award No. DMR-2309029. The synthesis of WTe2 crystals was supported by the UC Lab Fees Research Program (grant No. LFR-20-653926). The synthesis of 10B-enriched monoisotopic hBN crystals was supported by NASA-CLEVER SSERVI (CAN no. 80NSSC23M0229) and NASA-MSFC (CAN no. 80NSSC21M0271). E.J.G.S. acknowledges computational resources through CIRRUS Tier-2 HPC Service (ec131, e980 Cirrus Project) at EPCC (http://www.cirrus.ac.uk) funded by the University of Edinburgh and EPSRC (EP/P020267/1); and ARCHER2 UK National Supercomputing Service via the UKCP consortium (Project e89) funded by EPSRC grant EP/X035891/1. E.J.G.S. also acknowledges the EPSRC Open Fellowship (EP/T021578/1), UK CSC Grant (No. 202208060246), and the Donostia International Physics Center for funding support.
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Zhang, X., Zhou, J., Hu, C. et al. Imaging of a van der Waals spin-orbit torque system using spin ensembles in hBN. Nat Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-74178-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-74178-7
