Spin-polarization of monolayer hexagonal boron nitride on Ni(111) investigated by spin-polarized metastable helium de-excitation spectroscopy

Otomo, Manabu; Avramov, P.; Entani, Shiro; Matsumoto, Yoshihiro; Naramoto, Hiroshi*; Yamauchi, Yasushi*; Sakai, Seiji

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a promising insulating material for graphene spintronics. In this study, we utilized spin-polarized metastable de-excitation spectroscopy (SPMDS) in order to study spin and electronic states of h-BN on magnetic metal surfaces. The extreme surface sensitivity enabled us to elucidate the spin polarization of h-BN monolayer at Ni(111) contacts separately from that of Ni(111). The spin asymmetry of SPMDS spectra indicates that the h-BN is spin-polarized parallel to Ni majority spins. This result will give us insight into the characteristics of h-BN tunnel barriers in graphene spintronics.