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Register a new userElemental topological Dirac semimetal: {alpha}-Sn on InSb(111)
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Three-dimensional (3D) topological Dirac semimetals (TDSs) are rare but important as a versatile platform for exploring exotic electronic properties and topological phase transitions. A quintessential feature of TDSs is 3D Dirac fermions associated with bulk electronic states near the Fermi level. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), we have observed such bulk Dirac cones in epitaxially-grown {alpha}-Sn films on InSb(111), the first such TDS system realized in an elemental form. First-principles calculations confirm that epitaxial strain is key to the formation of the TDS phase. A phase diagram is established that connects the 3D TDS phase through a singular point of a zero-gap semimetal phase to a topological insulator (TI) phase. The nature of the Dirac cone crosses over from 3D to 2D as the film thickness is reduced.
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Gray tin, also known as $alpha$-Sn, can be turned into a three-dimensional topological insulator (3D-TI) by strain and finite size effects. Such room temperature 3D-TI is peculiarly interesting for spintronics due to the spin-momentum locking along the Dirac cone (linear dispersion) of the surface states. Angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) has been used to investigate the dispersion close to the Fermi level in thin (0,0,1)-oriented epitaxially strained films of $alpha$-Sn, for different film thicknesses as well as for different capping layers (Al, AlO$_x$ and MgO). Indeed a proper capping layer is necessary to be able to use $alpha$-Sn surface states for spintronics applications. In contrast with free surfaces or surfaces coated with Ag, coating the $alpha$-Sn surface with Al or AlO$_x$ leads to a drop of the Fermi level below the Dirac point, an important consequence for transport is the presence of bulk states at the Fermi level. $alpha$-Sn films coated by AlO$_x$ are studied by electrical magnetotransport: despite clear evidence of surface states revealed by Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations, an important part of the magneto-transport properties is governed by bulk electronic states attributed to the $Gamma 8$ band, as suggested by {it ab-initio} calculations.
The spin-momentum locking of surface states in topological quantum materials can produce a resistance that scales linearly with magnetic and electric fields. Such a bilinear magneto-electric resistance (BMER) effect offers a completely new approach for magnetic storage and magnetic field sensing applications. The effects demonstrated so far, however, are relatively weak or for low temperatures. Strong room-temperature BMER effects have now been found in topological Dirac semimetal alpha-Sn thin films. The epitaxial alpha-Sn films were grown by sputtering on silicon substrates. They showed BMER responses that are 10^6 times larger than previously reported at room temperature and also larger than that previously reported at low temperatures. These results represent a major advance toward realistic BMER applications. The data also made possible the first characterization of the three-dimensional, Fermi-level spin texture of topological surface states in alpha-Sn.
In this study, we report the epitaxial growth of a series of {alpha}-Sn films on InSb substrate by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) with thickness varying from 10 nm to 400 nm. High qualities of the {alpha}-Sn films are confirmed. An enhanced large magnetoresistance (MR) over 450,000% has been observed compared to that of the bare InSb substrate. Thickness, angle and temperature dependent MR are used to demonstrate the effects of {alpha}-Sn films on the electrical transport properties.
Topological semimetals generally contain heavy elements. Using density-functional theoretic calculations, we predict that three dense lithium polymorphs in the pressure range 200--360 GPa display nontrivial semimetallic electronic structure. Specifically, these high-pressure phases exhibit Fermi pockets which are degenerate over a loop in $boldsymbol{k}$-space, around which an encircling $bm k$-space path is threaded by $pm pi$ Berry phase. Accordingly, these dense lithium phases are topological nodal loop semimetals involving a single light element.
Stanene (single-layer grey tin), with an electronic structure akin to that of graphene but exhibiting a much larger spin-orbit gap, offers a promising platform for room-temperature electronics based on the quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect. This material has received much theoretical attention, but a suitable substrate for stanene growth that results in an overall gapped electronic structure has been elusive; a sizable gap is necessary for room-temperature applications. Here, we report a study of stanene epitaxially grown on the (111)B-face of indium antimonide (InSb). Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements reveal a gap of 0.44 eV, in agreement with our first-principles calculations. The results indicate that stanene on InSb(111) is a strong contender for electronic QSH applications.
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