Unconventional Charge-to-Spin Conversion in Graphene/ MoTe2 van der Waals Heterostructures

Spin-charge interconversion (SCI) is a central phenomenon to the development of spintronic devices from materials with strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC). In the case of materials with high crystal symmetry, the only allowed SCI processes are those where the spin-current, charge-current, and spin-polarization directions are orthogonal to each other. Consequently, standard SCI experiments are designed to maximize the signals arising from the SCI processes with conventional mutually orthogonal geometry. However, in low-symmetry materials, certain nonorthogonal SCI processes are also allowed. Since the standard SCI experiment is limited to charge current flowing only in one direction in the SOC material, certain allowed SCI configurations remain unexplored. Here, we perform a thorough SCI study in a graphene-based lateral spin valve combined with low-symmetry MoTe2. Due to a very low contact resistance between the two materials, we can detect SCI signals using both a standard configuration, where the charge current is applied along MoTe2, and a recently introduced [three-dimensional- (3D) current] configuration, where the charge-current flow can be controlled in three directions within the heterostructure. As a result, we observe three different SCI components, one orthogonal and two nonorthogonal, adding valuable insight into the SCI processes in low-symmetry materials. The large SCI signals obtained at room temperature, along with the versatility of the 3D-current configuration, provide feasibility and flexibility to the design of the next generation of spin-based devices.