Large Magnetic Gap in a Designer Ferromagnet–Topological Insulator–Ferromagnet Heterostructure

Combining magnetism and nontrivial band topology gives rise to quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) insulators and exotic quantum phases such as the QAH effect where current flows without dissipation along quantized edge states. Inducing magnetic order in topological insulators via proximity to a magnetic material offers a promising pathway toward achieving the QAH effect at a high temperature for lossless transport applications. One promising architecture involves a sandwich structure comprising two single-septuple layers (1SL) of MnBi2Te4 (a 2D ferromagnetic insulator) with ultrathin few quintuple layer (QL) Bi2Te3 in the middle, and it is predicted to yield a robust QAH insulator phase with a large bandgap greater than 50 meV. Here, the growth of a 1SL MnBi2Te4/4QL Bi2Te3/1SL MnBi2Te4 heterostructure via molecular beam epitaxy is demonstrated and the electronic structure probed using angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. Strong hexagonally warped massive Dirac fermions and a bandgap of 75 ± 15 meV are observed. The magnetic origin of the gap is confirmed by the observation of the exchange-Rashba effect, as well as the vanishing bandgap above the Curie temperature, in agreement with density functional theory calculations. These findings provide insights into magnetic proximity effects in topological insulators and reveal a promising platform for realizing the QAH effect at elevated temperatures

Massive Dirac fermions and strong Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in single crystals of the topological insulator Bi2Se3 doped with Sm and Fe

Topological insulators (TIs) are emergent materials with unique band structure, which allow the study of quantum effect in solids, as well as contribute to high-performance quantum devices. To achieve the better performance of TIs, here, we present a codoping strategy using synergistic rare-earth (RE) Sm and transition-metal Fe dopants in Bi2Se3 single crystals, which combine the advantages of both a transition-metal-doped TI [high ferromagnetic ordering temperature and observed quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE)], and a RE doped TI (large magnetic moments and significant spin-orbit coupling). In the as-grown single crystals, clear evidences of ferromagnetic ordering were observed. The angle-resolve photoemission spectroscopy indicates the ferromagnetism opens a ∼44 meV band gap at the surface Dirac point. Moreover, the mobility of the carriers at 3 K is ∼7400cm2/Vs, and we thus observed an ultra-strong Shubnikov-de Haas oscillation in the longitudinal resistivity, as well as the Hall steps in transverse resistivity <14 T. Our transport and angular-resolved photoemission spectroscopy results suggest that the RE and transition metal codoping in the Bi2Se3 system is a promising avenue to implement the QAHE, as well as harnessing the massive Dirac fermion in electrical devices

Crossover from 2D Ferromagnetic Insulator to Wide Band Gap Quantum Anomalous Hall Insulator in Ultrathin MnBi₂Te₄

Intrinsic magnetic topological insulators offer low disorder and large magnetic band gaps for robust magnetic topological phases operating at higher temperatures. By controlling the layer thickness, emergent phenomena such as the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect and axion insulator phases have been realized. These observations occur at temperatures significantly lower than the Néel temperature of bulk MnBi2Te4, and measurement of the magnetic energy gap at the Dirac point in ultrathin MnBi2Te4 has yet to be achieved. Critical to achieving the promise of this system is a direct measurement of the layer-dependent energy gap and verification of a temperature-dependent topological phase transition from a large band gap QAH insulator to a gapless TI paramagnetic phase. Here we utilize temperature-dependent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to study epitaxial ultrathin MnBi2Te4. We directly observe a layer-dependent crossover from a 2D ferromagnetic insulator with a band gap greater than 780 meV in one septuple layer (1 SL) to a QAH insulator with a large energy gap (>70 meV) at 8 K in 3 and 5 SL MnBi2Te4. The QAH gap is confirmed to be magnetic in origin, as it becomes gapless with increasing temperature above 8 K