Spin-Dependent Electronic Structure and Magnetic Anisotropy of Two-Dimensional SnO/Fe4N Heterostructures

Two-dimensional (2D) SnO monolayers have attracted much attention owing to their unique electronic structure, which have potential applications in high-performance electronic devices. However, it is necessary to induce spin polarization in 2D SnO monolayers for their practical applications in spintronics. Here, the tunable spin-dependent electronic structure and magnetic anisotropy of SnO/Fe4N heterostructures are investigated systematically by first-principles calculations. The spin polarization and magnetism are induced in monolayer SnO by the interfacial proximity of Fe4N substrates. Except for model 1, the SnO monolayer shows perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in different stacking patterns. Compared to other stacking patterns, Fe4N in model 2 shows a larger interfacial and inner PMA, where the maximum value reaches 2.34 mJ/m(2). However, at a tensile strain of 2%, the layer V of Fe4N shows a transition from PMA to in-plane magnetic anisotropy (IMA). At compressive strains of -4 and -6%, layers IV, V, and VII of Fe4N turn from PMA to IMA. Importantly, monolayer SnO in model 2 shows PMA at a strain from -6 to 6%. These results suggest that the 2D SnO/Fe4N heterostructures have potential applications in low-dimensional spintronic devices.