arXiv subjects

Jagadeesh Moodera

Publications and source records attributed to Jagadeesh Moodera.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

Ultrafast carrier-lattice interactions and interlayer modulations of Bi2Se3 by X-ray free electron laser diffraction

As a 3D topological insulator, bismuth selenide (Bi2Se3) has potential applications for electrically and optically controllable magnetic and optoelectronic devices. How the carriers interact with lattice is important to understand the coupling with its topological phase. It is essential to measure with a time scale smaller than picoseconds for initial interaction. Here we use an X-ray free-electron laser to perform time-resolved diffraction to study ultrafast carrier-induced lattice contractions and interlayer modulations in Bi2Se3 thin films. The lattice contraction depends on the carrier concentration and is followed by an interlayer expansion accompanied by oscillations. Using density functional theory (DFT) and the Lifshitz model, the initial contraction can be explained by van der Waals force modulation of the confined free carrier layers. Band inversion, related to a topological phase transition, is modulated by the expansion of the interlayer distance. These results provide insight into instantaneous topological phases on ultrafast timescales.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Strain-Tuned Magnetic Anisotropy in Sputtered Thulium Iron Garnet Ultrathin Films and TIG/Au/TIG Valve Structures

Defining the magnetic anisotropy for in-plane or out-of-plane easy axis in ferrimagnetic insulators films by controlling the strain, while maintaining high-quality surfaces, is desirable for spintronic and magnonic applications. We investigate ways to tune the anisotropy of amorphous sputtered ultrathin thulium iron garnet (TIG) films, and thus tailor their magnetic properties by the thickness (7.5 to 60 nm), substrate choice (GGG and SGGG), and crystallization process. We correlate morphological and structural properties with the magnetic anisotropy of post-growth annealed films. 30 nm thick films annealed at 600 °C show compressive strain favoring an in-plane magnetic anisotropy (IPMA), whereas films annealed above 800 °C are under a tensile strain leading to a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA). Air-annealed films present a high degree of crystallinity and magnetization saturation close to the bulk value. These results lead to successful fabrication of trilayers TIG/Au/TIG, with coupling between the TIG layers depending on Au thickness. These results will facilitate the use of TIG to create various in situ clean hybrid structures for fundamental interface exchange studies, and towards the development of complex devices. Moreover, the sputtering technique is advantageous as it can be easily scaled up for industrial applications.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2020

Modulation Doping via a 2d Atomic Crystalline Acceptor

Two-dimensional (2d) nano-electronics, plasmonics, and emergent phases require clean and local charge control, calling for layered, crystalline acceptors or donors. Our Raman, photovoltage, and electrical conductance measurements combined with \textit{ab initio} calculations establish the large work function and narrow bands of $α$-RuCl$_3$ enable modulation doping of exfoliated, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) materials. Short-ranged lateral doping (${\leq}65\ \text{nm}$) and high homogeneity are achieved in proximate materials with a single layer of \arucl. This leads to the highest monolayer graphene (mlg) mobilities ($4,900\ \text{cm}^2/ \text{Vs}$) at these high hole densities ($3\times10^{13}\ \text{cm}^{-2}$); and yields larger charge transfer to bilayer graphene (blg) ($6\times10^{13}\ \text{cm}^{-2}$). We further demonstrate proof of principle optical sensing, control via twist angle, and charge transfer through hexagonal boron nitride (hBN).

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Signature of a pair of Majorana zero modes in superconducting gold surface states

Under certain conditions, a fermion in a superconductor can separate in space into two parts known as Majorana zero modes, which are immune to decoherence from local noise sources and are attractive building blocks for quantum computers. Promising experimental progress has been made to demonstrate Majorana zero modes in materials with strong spin-orbit coupling proximity coupled to superconductors. Here we report signatures of Majorana zero modes in a new material platform utilizing the surface states of gold. Using scanning tunneling microscope to probe EuS islands grown on top of gold nanowires, we observe two well separated zero bias tunneling conductance peaks aligned along the direction of the applied magnetic field, as expected for a pair of Majorana zero modes. This platform has the advantage of having a robust energy scale and the possibility of realizing complex designs using lithographic methods.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Atomic-scale fragmentation and collapse of antiferromagnetic order in a doped Mott insulator

Disentangling the relationship between the insulating state with a charge gap and the magnetic order in an antiferromagnetic (AF) Mott insulator remains difficult due to inherent phase separation as the Mott state is perturbed. Measuring magnetic and electronic properties at the atomic length scales would provide crucial insight, but this is yet to be experimentally achieved. Here we use spectroscopic-imaging spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (SP-STM) to visualize periodic spin-resolved modulations originating from the AF order in a relativistic Mott insulator Sr2IrO4, and study these as a function of doping. We find that near insulator-to-metal transition (IMT), the long-range AF order melts into a fragmented state with short-range AF correlations. Crucially, we discover that the short-range AF order is locally uncorrelated with the observed spectral gap magnitude. This strongly suggests that short range AF correlations are unlikely to be the culprit behind inhomogeneous gap closing and the emergence of pseudogap regions near IMT. Our work establishes SP-STM as a powerful tool for revealing atomic-scale magnetic information in complex oxides.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Superconductivity in the surface state of noble metal gold and its Fermi level tuning by EuS dielectric

The induced superconductivity (SC) in a robust and scalable quantum material with strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling is particularly attractive for generating topological superconductivity and Majorana bound states (MBS). Gold (111) thin film has been proposed as a promising candidate because of the large Rashba energy, the predicted topological nature and the possibility for large-scale MBS device fabrications. We experimentally demonstrate two important steps towards achieving such a goal. We successfully show induced SC in the Shockley surface state (SS) of ultrathin Au(111) layers grown over epitaxial vanadium films, which is easily achievable on a wafer scale. The emergence of SC in the SS, which is physically separated from a bulk superconductor, is attained by indirect quasiparticle scattering processes instead of by conventional interfacial Andreev reflections. We further show the ability to tune the SS Fermi level (E_F) by interfacing SS with a high-k dielectric ferromagnetic insulator EuS. The shift of E_F from ~ 550 mV to ~34mV in superconducting SS is an important step towards realizing MBS in this robust system.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Fluctuation-induced Néel and Bloch skyrmions at topological insulator surfaces

Ferromagnets in contact with a topological insulator have become appealing candidates for spintronics due to the presence of Dirac surface states with spin-momentum locking. Because of this bilayer Bi$_2$Se$_3$-EuS structures, for instance, show a finite magnetization at the interface at temperatures well exceeding the Curie temperature of bulk EuS. Here we determine theoretically the effective magnetic interactions at a topological insulator-ferromagnet interface {\it above} the magnetic ordering temperature. We show that by integrating out the Dirac fermion fluctuations an effective Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and magnetic charging interaction emerge. As a result individual magnetic skyrmions and extended skyrmion lattices can form at interfaces of ferromagnets and topological insulators, the first indications of which have been very recently observed experimentally.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Absence of Magnetic Fluctuations in the Ferromagnetic/Topological Heterostructure EuS/Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$

Heterostructures of topological insulators and ferromagnets offer new opportunities in spintronics and a route to novel anomalous Hall states. In one such structure, EuS/Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$ a dramatic enhancement of the Curie temperature was recently observed. We performed Raman spectroscopy on a similar set of thin films to investigate the magnetic and lattice excitations. Interfacial strain was monitored through its effects on the Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$ phonon modes while the magnetic system was probed through the EuS Raman mode. Despite its appearance in bare EuS, the heterostructures lack the corresponding EuS Raman signal. Through numerical calculations we rule out the possibility of Fabry-Perot interference suppressing the mode. We attribute the absence of a magnetic signal in EuS to a large charge transfer with the Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$. This could provide an additional pathway for manipulating the magnetic, optical, or electronic response of topological heterostructures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Dirac-Electrons-Mediated Magnetic Proximity Effect in Topological Insulator / Magnetic Insulator Heterostructures

The possible realization of dissipationless chiral edge current in a topological insulator / magnetic insulator heterostructure is based on the condition that the magnetic proximity exchange coupling at the interface is dominated by the Dirac surface states of the topological insulator. Here we report a polarized neutron reflectometry observation of Dirac electrons mediated magnetic proximity effect in a bulk-insulating topological insulator (Bi$_{0.2}$Sb$_{0.8}$)$_{2}$Te$_{3}$ / magnetic insulator EuS heterostructure. We are able to maximize the proximity induced magnetism by applying an electrical back gate to tune the Fermi level of topological insulator to be close to the charge neutral point. A phenomenological model based on diamagnetic screening is developed to explain the suppressed proximity induced magnetism at high carrier density. Our work paves the way to utilize the magnetic proximity effect at the topological insulator/magnetic insulator hetero-interface for low-power spintronic applications.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Proximity Driven Enhanced Magnetic Order at Ferromagnetic Insulator / Magnetic Topological Insulator Interface

Magnetic exchange driven proximity effect at a magnetic insulator / topological insulator (MI/TI) interface provides a rich playground for novel phenomena as well as a way to realize low energy dissipation quantum devices. Here we report a dramatic enhancement of proximity exchange coupling in the MI / magnetic-TI EuS / Sb$_{2-x}$V$_x$Te$_3$ hybrid heterostructure, where V doping is used to drive the TI (Sb$_{2}$Te$_3$) magnetic. We observe an artificial antiferromagnetic-like structure near the MI/TI interface, which may account for the enhanced proximity coupling. The interplay between the proximity effect and doping provides insights into controllable engineering of magnetic order using a hybrid heterostructure.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Experimental Verification of Van Vleck Nature of Long-Range Ferromagnetic Order in Vanadium-Doped Three-Dimensional Topological Insulator Sb$_{2}$Te$_{3}$

We demonstrate by high resolution low temperature electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) measurements that the long range ferromagnetic (FM) order in vanadium (V)-doped topological insulator Sb$_2$Te$_3$ has the nature of van Vleck-type ferromagnetism. The positions and the relative amplitudes of two core-level peaks (L$_3$ and L$_2$) of the V EELS spectrum show unambiguous change when the sample is cooled from room temperature to T=10K. Magnetotransport and comparison of the measured and simulated EELS spectra confirm that these changes originate from onset of FM order. Crystal field analysis indicates that in V-doped Sb$_2$Te$_3$, partially filled core states contribute to the FM order. Since van Vleck magnetism is a result of summing over all states, this magnetization of core level verifies the van Vleck-type ferromagnetism in a direct manner.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Magnetic Proximity Effect and Interlayer Exchange Coupling of Ferromagnetic/Topological Insulator/Ferromagnetic Trilayer

Magnetic proximity effect between topological insulator (TI) and ferromagnetic insulator (FMI) is considered to have great potential in spintronics. However, a complete determination of interfacial magnetic structure has been highly challenging. We theoretically investigate the interlayer exchange coupling of two FMIs separated by a TI thin film, and show that the particular electronic states of the TI contributing to the proximity effect can be directly identified through the coupling behavior between two FMIs, together with a tunability of coupling constant. Such FMI/TI/FMI structure not only serves as a platform to clarify the magnetic structure of FMI/TI interface, but also provides insights into designing the magnetic storage devices with ultrafast response.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Spin-filtered Edge States with an Electrically Tunable Gap in a Two-Dimensional Topological Crystalline Insulator

Three-dimensional topological crystalline insulators were recently predicted and observed in the SnTe class of IV-VI semiconductors, which host metallic surface states protected by crystal symmetries. In this work, we study thin films of these materials and expose their potential for device applications. We demonstrate that thin films of SnTe and Pb(1-x)Sn(x)Se(Te) grown along the (001) direction are topologically nontrivial in a wide range of film thickness and carry conducting spin-filtered edge states that are protected by the (001) mirror symmetry via a topological invariant. Application of an electric field perpendicular to the film will break the mirror symmetry and generate a band gap in these edge states. This functionality motivates us to propose a novel topological transistor device, in which charge and spin transport are maximally entangled and simultaneously controlled by an electric field. The high on/off operation speed and coupling of spin and charge in such a device may lead to electronic and spintronic applications for topological crystalline insulators.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗