The magnetism measurements of the two-dimensional van der Waals antiferromagnet CrPS4 using dynamic cantilever magnetometry

The exploration of van der Waals (vdWs) magnetic materials has sparked great interest in spintronics. However, conventional methods often face challenges in characterizing the magnetic properties of small-sized vdWs materials, especially for antiferromagnets with extremely small magnetic moments. Here, we demonstrate the efficacy of dynamic cantilever magnetometry (DCM) in characterizing the magnetic properties of vdWs magnets, using an antiferromagnetic semiconductor CrPS4. We observe continuous spin axis rotation under a magnetic field, accurately modelled by considering the existance of marked magnetic anisotropies. Furthermore, the dominance of out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy in spin reorientation behavior at low temperatures transitions to the prevalence of in-plane anisotropy with increasing temperature, leading to a sign reversal of the frequency shift in measurements. The peculiar magnetic phase transitions make CrPS4 an intriguing platform for studying two-dimensional magnetism. Our findings underscore the effectiveness of DCM in characterizing magnetic anisotropies and phase transitions in vdWs magnets.