Wafer-scale synthesis of 2D PtTe₂ thin films with high spin–orbit torque efficiency

Spintronic devices have become a crucial technology for overcoming the power consumption bottleneck in integrated circuits, due to their low power consumption, high-speed processing capability. Two-dimensional materials offer potential for performance enhancement and device miniaturization in spintronics because of their unique electronic and spin properties. Specifically, two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDs) are favored in the field of spintronics for their strong spin–orbit coupling effects, enabling effective control over the electron spin state. However, the preparation techniques for 2D TMDs are still in the exploratory stage. In this work, we explore novel preparation method combining magnetron sputtering and molecular beam epitaxy, leading to wafer-scale high-quality monocrystalline PtTe₂ thin films. Further, Spin-Orbit Torque (SOT) efficiency is investigated in PtTe₂-based heterostructures, which reveals a significant spin Hall angle of over 0.094. Our work provides a new way to fabricate the wafer-scale PtTe₂ thin films and confirms a large SOT efficiency, which indicates the great promise for spintronic applications.