Thin film quantum materials

Abstract:

Engineering the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in the emerging magnetic topological insulators (MTIs) has great potentials for quantum information processing and spintronics applications. In this letter, we synthesize the epitaxial Bi2Te3/MnTe magnetic heterostructures and observe pronounced AHE signals from both layers combined together. The evolution of the resulting hybrid AHE intensity with the top Bi2Te3 layer thickness manifests the presence of an intrinsic ferromagnetic phase induced by the topological surface states at the heterolayer-interface. More importantly, by doping the Bi2Te3 layer with Sb, we are able to manipulate the sign of the Berry phase-associated AHE component. Our results demonstrate the un-paralleled advantages of MTI heterostructures over magnetically doped TI counterparts, in which the tunability of the AHE response can be greatly enhanced. This in turn unveils a new avenue for MTI heterostructure-based multifunctional applications.

Abstract:

Magnetic skyrmions are two-dimensional magnetization swirls that stack in the form of tubes in the third dimension, and which are proposed as prospective information carriers for nonvolatile memory devices due to their unique topological properties. From resonant elastic x-ray scattering measurements on Cu2OSeO3 with an in-plane magnetic field we find that a state of perpendicularly ordered skyrmions forms - in stark contrast to the well-studied bulk state. The surface state is stable over a wide temperature range, unlike the bulk state in out-of-plane fields which is confined in a narrow region of the temperature-field phase diagram. In contrast to ordinary skyrmions found in the bulk, the surface state skyrmions result from the presence of magnetic interactions unique to the surface which stabilize them against external perturbations. The surface-guiding makes the robust state particular interesting for racetrack-like devices, ultimately allowing for much higher storage densities due to the smaller lateral footprint of the perpendicular skyrmions.