No Arabic abstract
Co40Fe40B20 layers were grown on the Pb0.71Sn0.29Te topological insulator substrates by laser molecular beam epitaxy (LMBE) method, and the growth conditions were studied. The possibility of growing epitaxial layers of a ferromagnet on the surface of a topological insulator was demonstrated for the first time. The Co40Fe40B20 layers obtained have a bcc crystal structure with a crystalline (111) plane parallel to the (111) PbSnTe plane. The use of three-dimensional mapping in the reciprocal space of reflection high electron diffraction (RHEED) patterns made it possible to determine the epitaxial relationship of main crystallographic axes between the film and the substrate of topological insulator. Quenching of some reflections in diffraction pattern allows confirmation of the substrate stoichiometry.
Epitaxial films of Co40Fe40B20 (further - CoFeB) were grown on Bi2Te3(001) and Bi2Se3(001) substrates by laser molecular beam epitaxy (LMBE) technique at 200-400C. Bcc-type crystalline structure of CoFeB with (111) plane parallel to (001) plane of Bi2Te3 was observed, in contrast to polycrystalline CoFeB film formed on Bi2Se3(001) at RT using high-temperature seeding layer. Therefore, structurally ordered ferromagnetic thin films were obtained on the topological insulator surface for the first time. Using high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) 3D reciprocal space mapping, epitaxial relations of main crystallographic axes for the CoFeB/ Bi2Te3 heterostructure were revealed. MOKE and AFM measurements showed the isotropic azimuthal in-plane behavior of magnetization vector in CoFeB/ Bi2Te3, in contrast to 2nd order magnetic anisotropy seen in CoFeB/Bi2Se3. XPS measurements showed more stable behavior of CoFeB grown on Bi2Te3 to the oxidation, in compare to CoFeB grown on Bi2Se3. XAS and XMCD measurements of both concerned nanostructures allowed calculation of spin and orbital magnetic moments for Co and Fe. Additionally, crystalline structure and XMCD response of the CoFeB/BiTeI and Co55Fe45/BiTeI systems were studied, epitaxial relations of main crystallographic axes were found, and spin and orbital magnetic moments were calculated.
Topological insulator (TI) materials are exciting candidates for integration into next-generation memory and logic devices because of their potential for efficient, low-energy-consumption switching of magnetization. Specifically, the family of bismuth chalcogenides offers efficient spin-to-charge conversion because of its large spin-orbit coupling and spin-momentum locking of surface states. However, a major obstacle to realizing the promise of TIs is the thin-film materials quality, which lags behind that of epitaxially grown semiconductors. In contrast to the latter systems, the Bi-chalcogenides form by van der Waals epitaxy, which allows them to successfully grow onto substrates with various degrees of lattice mismatch. This flexibility enables the integration of TIs into heterostructures with emerging materials, including two-dimensional materials. However, understanding and controlling local features and defects within the TI films is critical to achieving breakthrough device performance. Here, we report observations and modeling of large-scale structural defects in (Bi,Sb)$_2$Te$_3$ films grown onto hexagonal BN, highlighting unexpected symmetry-breaking rotations within the films and the coexistence of a second phase along grain boundaries. Using first-principles calculations, we show that these defects could have consequential impacts on the devices that rely on these TI films, and therefore they cannot be ignored.
We investigated elastic loss in GaAs/AlGaAs multilayers to help determine the suitability of these coatings for future gravitational wave detectors. We measured large ($approx 70$-mm diameter) substrate-transferred crystalline coating samples with an improved substrate polish and bonding method. The elastic loss, when decomposed into bulk and shear contributions, was shown to arise entirely from the bulk loss, $phi_{mathrm{Bulk}} = (5.33 pm 0.03)times 10^{-4}$, with $phi_{mathrm{Shear}} = (0.0 pm 5.2) times 10^{-7}$. These results predict the coating loss of an 8-mm diameter coating in a 35-mm long cavity with a 250-$mu$m spot size (radius) to be $phi_{mathrm{coating}} = (4.78 pm 0.05) times 10^{-5}$, in agreement with the published result from direct thermal noise measurement of $phi_{mathrm{coating}} = (4 pm 4) times 10^{-5}$. Bonding defects were shown to have little impact on the overall elastic loss.
Two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetic materials have been exhibiting promising potential in applications, such as spintronics devices. To grow epitaxial magnetic films on silicon substrate, in the single-layer limit, is practically important but challenging. In this study, we realized the epitaxial growth of MnSn monolayer on Si(111) substrate, with an atomically thin Sn/Si(111)-$2sqrt{3}times2sqrt{3}$- buffer layer, and controlled the MnSn thickness with atomic-layer precision. We discovered the ferromagnetism in MnSn monolayer with the Curie temperature (Tc) of ~54 K. As the MnSn film is grown to 4 monolayers, Tc increases accordingly to ~235 K. The lattice of the epitaxial MnSn monolayer as well as the Sn/Si(111)-$2sqrt{3}times2sqrt{3}$ is perfectly compatible with silicon, and thus an sharp interface is formed between MnSn, Sn and Si. This system provides a new platform for exploring the 2D ferromagnetism, integrating magnetic monolayers into silicon-based technology, and engineering the spintronics heterostructures.
Recent theoretical advances have proposed a new class of topological crystalline insulator (TCI) phases protected by rotational symmetries. Distinct from topological insulators (TIs), rotational symmetry-protected TCIs are expected to show unique topologically protected boundary modes: First, the surface normal to the rotational axis features unpinned Dirac surface states whose Dirac points are located at generic k points. Second, due to the higher-order bulk boundary correspondence, a 3D TCI also supports 1D helical edge states. Despite the unique topological electronic properties, to date, purely rotational symmetry-protected TCIs remain elusive in real materials. Using first-principles band calculations and theoretical modeling, we identify the van der Waals material $alpha$-Bi4Br4 as a TCI purely protected by rotation symmetry. We show that the Bi4Br4s (010) surface exhibits a pair of unpinned topological Dirac fermions protected by the two-fold rotational axis. These unpinned Dirac fermions show an exotic spin texture highly favorable for spin transport and a band structure consisting of van Hove singularities due to Lifshitz transition. We also identify 1D topological hinge states along the edges of an $alpha$-Bi4Br4 rod. We further discuss how the proposed topological electronic properties in $alpha$-Bi4Br4 can be observed by various experimental techniques.