Electrical detection of the spin-flop and room-temperature magnetic ordering in van der Waals CrPS${}_4$/(Pt, Pd) heterostructures

We study magneto-transport in heterostructures composed of the van der Waals antiferromagnet CrPS${}_4$ and the heavy metals Pt and Pd. The transverse resistance (R${}_{xy}$) signal reveals the spin-flop transition of CrPS${}_4$ and a strongly enhanced magnetic ordering temperature (>300 K), which might originate from a strong spin-orbit coupling at the interface. While CrPS${}_4$/Pt devices allow for easy detection of the spin-flop transition, CrPS${}_4$/Pd devices show a more substantial enhancement in magnetic ordering temperature and exhibit a topological Hall effect signal, possibly related to chiral spin structures at the interface. The longitudinal magnetoresistance (R${}_{xx}$) results from a combination of spin-Hall magnetoresistance and the negative magnetoresistance that can be explained by a field-induced change of the electronic band structure of CrPS${}_4$.