Abstract MnBi 2 Te 4 /(Bi 2 Te 3 ) n materials system has recently generated strong interest as a natural platform for the realization of the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) state. The system is magnetically much better ordered than substitutionally doped materials, however, the detrimental effects of certain disorders are becoming increasingly acknowledged. Here, from compiling structural, compositional, and magnetic metrics of disorder in ferromagnetic (FM) MnBi 2 Te 4 /(Bi 2 Te 3 ) n it is found that migration of Mn between MnBi 2 Te 4 septuple layers (SLs) and otherwise non-magnetic Bi 2 Te 3 quintuple layers (QLs) has systemic consequences—it induces FM coupling of Mn-depleted SLs with Mn-doped QLs, seen in ferromagnetic resonance as an acoustic and optical resonance mode of the two coupled spin subsystems. Even for a large SL separation ( n ≳ 4 QLs) the structure cannot be considered as a stack of uncoupled two-dimensional layers. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and density functional theory studies show that Mn disorder within an SL causes delocalization of electron wave functions and a change of the surface band structure as compared to the ideal MnBi 2 Te 4 /(Bi 2 Te 3 ) n . These findings highlight the critical importance of inter- and intra-SL disorder towards achieving new QAH platforms as well as exploring novel axion physics in intrinsic topological magnets.
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A generic dual d-band model for interlayer ferromagnetic coupling in a transition-metal doped MnBi 2 Te 4 family of materials
Realization of ferromagnetic (FM) interlayer coupling in magnetic topological insulators (TIs) of the MnBi 2 Te 4 family of materials (MBTs) may pave the way for realizing the high-temperature quantum anomalous Hall effect (high- T QAHE). Here we propose a generic dual d-band (DDB) model to elucidate the energy difference (Δ E = E AFM − E FM ) between the AFM and FM coupling in transition-metal (TM)-doped MBTs, where the valence of TMs splits into d-t 2g and d-e g sub-bands. Remarkably, the DDB shows that Δ E is universally determined by the relative position of the dopant (X) and Mn d-e g / t 2g bands, . If Δ E d > 0, then Δ E > 0 and the desired FM coupling is favored. This surprisingly simple rule is confirmed by first-principles calculations of hole-type 3d and 4d TM dopants. Significantly, by applying the DDB model, we predict the high- T QAHE in the V-doped Mn 2 Bi 2 Te 5 , where the Curie temperature is enhanced by doubling of the MnTe layer, while the topological order mitigated by doping can be restored by strain.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1936383
- PAR ID:
- 10391508
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Nanoscale
- Volume:
- 14
- Issue:
- 37
- ISSN:
- 2040-3364
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 13689 to 13695
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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