Ion irradiation is a versatile tool to introduce controlled defects into two-dimensional (2D) MoS2on account of its unique spatial resolution and plethora of ion types and energies available. In order to fully realise the potential of this technique, a holistic understanding of ion-induced defect production in 2D MoS2crystals of different thicknesses is mandatory. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron diffraction and Raman spectroscopy show that thinner MoS2crystals are more susceptible to radiation damage caused by 225 keV Xe+ions. However, the rate of defect production in quadrilayer and bulk crystals is not significantly different under our experimental conditions. The rate at which S atoms are sputtered as a function of radiation exposure is considerably higher for monolayer MoS2, compared to bulk crystals, leading to MoO3formation. P-doping of MoS2is observed and attributed to the acceptor states introduced by vacancies and charge transfer interactions with adsorbed species. Moreover, the out-of-plane vibrational properties of irradiated MoS2crystals are shown to be strongly thickness-dependent: in mono- and bilayer MoS2, the confinement of phonons by defects results in a blueshift of the
In insulating crystals, it was previously shown that defects with two fewer dimensions than the bulk can bind topological electronic states. We here further extend the classification of topological defect states by demonstrating that the corners of crystalline defects with integer Burgers vectors can bind 0D higher-order end (HEND) states with anomalous charge and spin. We demonstrate that HEND states are intrinsic topological consequences of the bulk electronic structure and introduce new bulk topological invariants that are predictive of HEND dislocation states in solid-state materials. We demonstrate the presence of first-order 0D defect states in PbTe monolayers and HEND states in 3D SnTe crystals. We relate our analysis to magnetic flux insertion in insulating crystals. We find that
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10372927
- Publisher / Repository:
- Nature Publishing Group
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Nature Communications
- Volume:
- 13
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2041-1723
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
more » « less
Abstract -
Since the notion of topological insulator (TI) was envisioned in late 2000s, topology has become a new paradigm in condensed matter physics. Realization of topology as a generic property of materials has led to numerous predictions of topological effects. Although most of the classical topological effects, directly resulting from the presence of the spin-momentum-locked topological surface states (TSS), were experimentally confirmed soon after the theoretical prediction of TIs, many topological quantum effects remained elusive for a long while. It turns out that native defects, particularly interfacial defects, have been the main culprit behind this impasse. Even after quantum regime is achieved for the bulk states, TSS still tends to remain in the classical regime due to high density of interfacial defects, which frequently donate mobile carriers due to the very nature of the topologically-protected surface states. However, with several defect engineering schemes that suppress these effects, a series of topological quantum effects have emerged including quantum anomalous Hall effect, quantum Hall effect, quantized Faraday/Kerr rotations, topological quantum phase transitions, axion insulating state, zeroth-Landau level state, etc. Here, we review how these defect engineering schemes have allowed topological surface states to pull out of the murky classical regime and reveal their elusive quantum signatures, over the past decade.more » « less
-
more » « less
Abstract As the thickness of a three-dimensional (3D) topological insulator (TI) becomes comparable to the penetration depth of surface states, quantum tunneling between surfaces turns their gapless Dirac electronic structure into a gapped spectrum. Whether the surface hybridization gap can host topological edge states is still an open question. Herein, we provide transport evidence of 2D topological states in the quantum tunneling regime of a bulk insulating 3D TI BiSbTeSe2. Different from its trivial insulating phase, this 2D topological state exhibits a finite longitudinal conductance at ~2e2/h when the Fermi level is aligned within the surface gap, indicating an emergent quantum spin Hall (QSH) state. The transition from the QSH to quantum Hall (QH) state in a transverse magnetic field further supports the existence of this distinguished 2D topological phase. In addition, we demonstrate a second route to realize the 2D topological state via surface gap-closing and topological phase transition mechanism mediated by a transverse electric field. The experimental realization of the 2D topological phase in a 3D TI enriches its phase diagram and marks an important step toward functionalized topological quantum devices.
-
more » « less
Abstract Symmetry-protected topological crystalline insulators (TCIs) have primarily been characterized by their gapless boundary states. However, in time-reversal- (
$${{{{{{{\mathcal{T}}}}}}}}$$ $${{{{{{{\mathcal{T}}}}}}}}$$ β -MoTe2realizes a spin-Weyl state and thatα -BiBr hosts both 3D QSHI and T-DAXI regimes. -
more » « less
Abstract The emergence of ferromagnetism in materials where the bulk phase does not show any magnetic order demonstrates that atomically precise films can stabilize distinct ground states and expands the phase space for the discovery of materials. Here, the emergence of long-range magnetic order is reported in ultrathin (111) LaNiO3(LNO) films, where bulk LNO is paramagnetic, and the origins of this phase are explained. Transport and structural studies of LNO(111) films indicate that NiO6octahedral distortions stabilize a magnetic insulating phase at the film/substrate interface and result in a thickness-dependent metal–insulator transition at
t = 8 unit cells. Away from this interface, distortions relax and bulk-like conduction is regained. Synchrotron x-ray diffraction and dynamical x-ray diffraction simulations confirm a corresponding out-of-plane unit-cell expansion at the interface of all films. X-ray absorption spectroscopy reveals that distortion stabilizes an increased concentration of Ni2+ions. Evidence of long-range magnetic order is found in anomalous Hall effect and magnetoresistance measurements, likely due to ferromagnetic superexchange interactions among Ni2+–Ni3+ions. Together, these results indicate that long-range magnetic ordering and metallicity in LNO(111) films emerges from a balance among the spin, charge, lattice, and orbital degrees of freedom.
