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arXiv · 1706.04661

Engineering the breaking of time-reversal symmetry in gate-tunable hybrid ferromagnet/topological insulator heterostructures

Joon Sue Lee·Anthony Richardella·Robert D. Fraleigh·Chao-xing Liu·Weiwei Zhao·Nitin Samarth
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Abstract

Studying the influence of breaking time-reversal symmetry on topological insulator surface states is an important problem of current interest in condensed matter physics and could provide a route toward proof-of-concept spintronic devices that exploit spin-textured surface states. Here, we develop a new model system for studying the effect of breaking time-reversal symmetry: a hybrid heterostructure wherein a ferromagnetic semiconductor Ga1-xMnxAs, with an out-of-plane component of magnetization, is cleanly interfaced with a three-dimensional topological insulator (Bi,Sb)2(Te,Se)3 by molecular beam epitaxy. Lateral electrical transport in this bilayer is dominated by conduction through the topological insulator whose conductivity is a few orders of magnitude higher than that of the highly resistive ferromagnetic semiconductor with a low Mn concentration. Electrical transport measurements of a top-gated heterostructure device reveal a crossover from weak anti-localization (negative magneto-conductance) to weak localization (positive magneto-conductance) as the temperature is lowered or as the chemical potential approaches the Dirac point. This is accompanied by a systematic emergence of an anomalous Hall effect. These results are interpreted in terms of the opening of a gap at the Dirac point as a result of the exchange coupling between the topological insulator surface state and the ferromagnetic ordering in the Ga1-xMnxAs layer. Our study shows that this hybrid system is well suited to explore topological quantum phenomena and to realize proof-of-concept demonstrations of topological spintronic devices at cryogenic temperatures.

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Joon Sue Lee, Anthony Richardella, Robert D. Fraleigh, Chao-xing Liu, Weiwei Zhao, Nitin Samarth. 2017-06-14. Engineering the breaking of time-reversal symmetry in gate-tunable hybrid ferromagnet/topological insulator heterostructures. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-018-0123-2

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