arXiv subjects

Xuan P. A. Gao

Publications and source records attributed to Xuan P. A. Gao.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Broad Spectral Tuning of Ultra-Low Loss Polaritons in a van der Waals Crystal by Intercalation

Phonon polaritons (PhPs) -- light coupled to lattice vibrations -- in polar van der Waals (vdW) crystals are promising candidates for controlling the flow of energy at the nanoscale due to their strong field confinement, anisotropic propagation, and ultra-long lifetime in the picosecond range \cite{ref1,ref2,ref3,ref4,ref5}. However, the lack of tunability in their narrow and material-specific spectral range -- the Reststrahlen Band (RB) -- severely limits their technological implementation. Here, we demonstrate that the intercalation of Na atoms in the vdW semiconductor $α$-V$_2$O$_5$ enables a broad spectral shift of RBs, and that the PhPs excited exhibit ultra-low losses (lifetime of $4 \pm 1$~ps), similar to PhPs in the non-intercalated crystal (lifetime of $6 \pm 1$ ps). We expect our intercalation method to be applicable to other vdW crystals, opening the door for the use of PhPs in broad spectral bands in the mid-infrared domain.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Interaction Effects and Viscous Magneto-Transport in a Strongly Correlated 2D Hole System

Fermi liquid theory has been a foundation in understanding the electronic properties of materials. For weakly interacting two-dimensional (2D) electron or hole systems, electron-electron interactions are known to introduce quantum corrections to the Drude conductivity in the FL theory, giving rise to temperature dependent conductivity and magneto-resistance. Here we study the magneto-transport in a strongly interacting 2D hole system over a broad range of temperatures ($T$ = 0.09 to $>$1K) and densities $p=1.98-0.99\times10^{10}$ cm$^{-2}$ where the ratio between Coulomb energy and Fermi energy $r_s$ = 20 - 30. We show that while the system exhibits a negative parabolic magneto-resistance at low temperatures ($\lesssim$ 0.4K) characteristic of an interacting FL, the FL interaction corrections represent an insignificant fraction of the total conductivity. Surprisingly, a positive magneto-resistance emerges at high temperatures and grows with increasing temperature even in the regime $T \sim E_F$, close to the Fermi temperature. This unusual positive magneto-resistance at high temperatures is attributed to the collective viscous transport of 2D hole fluid in the hydrodynamic regime where holes scatter frequently with each other. These findings highlight the collective transport in a strongly interacting 2D system in the $r_s\gg 1$ regime and the hydrodynamic transport induced magneto-resistance opens up possibilities to new routes of magneto-resistance at high temperatures.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Ultrathin 2D-oxides: a perspective on fabrication, structure, defect, transport, electron and phonon properties

In the field of atomically thin 2D materials, oxides are relatively unexplored in spite of the large number of layered oxide structures amenable to exfoliation. There is an increasing interest in ultra-thin film oxide nanostructures from applied points of view. In this perspective paper, recent progress in understanding the fundamental properties of 2D oxides is discussed. Two families of 2D oxides are considered: (1) van der Waals bonded layered materials in which the transition metal is in its highest valence state (represented by V$_2$O$_5$ and MoO$_3$) and (2) layered materials with ionic bonding between positive alkali cation layers and negatively charged transition metal oxide layers (LiCoO$_2$). The chemical exfoliation process and its combinaton with mechanical exfoliation are presented for the latter. Structural phase stability of the resulting nanoflakes, the role of cation size and the importance of defects in oxides are discussed. Effects of two-dimensionality on phonons, electronic band structures and electronic screening are placed in the context of what is known on other 2D materials, such as transition metal dichalcogenides. Electronic structure is discussed at the level of many-body-perturbation theory using the quasiparticle self-consistent $GW$ method, the accuracy of which is critically evaluated including effects of electron-hole interactions on screening and electron-phonon coupling. The predicted occurence of a two-dimensional electron gas on Li covered surfaces of LiCoO$_2$ and its relation to topological aspects of the band structure and bonding is presented as an example of the essential role of the surface in ultrathin materials. Finally, some case studies of the electronic transport and the use of these oxides in nanoscale field effect transistors are presented.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Incipient Formation of the Reentrant Insulating Phase in a Dilute 2D Hole System with Strong Interactions

A new reentrant insulating phase (RIP) in low magnetic fields has been reported in the literature in strongly interacting 2D carrier systems and was suggested to be related to the formation of a Wigner crystal [e.g. Qiu et al, PRL 108, 106404 (2012)]. We have studied the transformation between the metallic liquid phase and the low field RIP in a dilute 2D hole system with large interaction parameter $r_s$ (~20-30) in GaAs quantum wells. Instead of a sharp transition, increasing density (or lowering $r_s$) drives the RIP into a state where an incipient RIP coexists with the metallic 2D hole liquid. The non-trivial temperature dependent resistivity and the in-plane magnetic field induced enhancement of the RIP highlight the competition between two phases and the essential role of spin in this mixture phase, and are consistent with the Pomeranchuk effect in a mixture of Wigner crystal and Fermi liquid.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Electron microscopy and spectroscopic study of structural changes, electronic properties and conductivity in annealed Li$_x$CoO$_2$

Chemically exfoliated nanoscale few-layer thin Li$_x$CoO$_2$ samples are studied as function of annealing at various temperatures, using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopies (EELS), probing the O-K, Co-L$_{2,3}$ spectra along with low energy interband transitions. These spectra are compared with first-principles DFT calculations of -Im$[\varepsilon^{-1}(q,ω)]$ and O-2p Partial Densities of States weighted by dipole matrix elements with the core wavefunction and including the O-1s core-hole and with known trends of the L$_2$/L$_3$ peak ratio to average Co valence. Trends in these spectra under the annealing procedures are established and correlated with the structural phase changes observed from diffraction TEM and High Resolution TEM images. The results are also correlated with conductivity measurements on samples subjected to the same annealing procedures. A gradual disordering of the Li and Co cations in the lattice is observed starting from a slight distortion of the pure LiCoO$_2$ $R\bar{3}m$ to $C2/m$ due to the lower Li content, followed by a $P2/m$ phase forming at 200$^o$C indicative of Li-vacancy ordering, formation of a spinel type $Fd\bar{3}m$ phase around 250$^o$C and ultimately a rocksalt type $Fm\bar{3}m$ phase above 350$^o$C. This disordering leads to a lowering of the band gap as established by low energy EELS. The O-K spectra of the rocksalt phase are only reproduced by a calculation for pure CoO and not for a model with random distribution of Li and Co. This indicates that there may be a loss of Li from the rocksalt regions of the sample at these higher temperatures. The conductivity measurements indicate a gradual drop in conductivity above 200$^o$C, which is clearly related to the more Li-Co interdiffused phases, in which a low-spin electronic structure is no longer valid and stronger correlation effects are expected.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Interfacial charge transfer and gate induced hysteresis in monochalcogenide InSe/GaSe heterostructures

Heterostructures of 2D van der Waals semiconductor materials offer a diverse playground for exploring fundamental physics and potential device applications. In InSe/GaSe heterostructures formed by sequential mechanical exfoliation and stacking of 2D monochalcogenides InSe and GaSe, we observe charge transfer between InSe and GaSe due to the 2D van der Waals interface formation and a strong hysteresis effect in the electron transport through the InSe layer when a gate voltage is applied through the GaSe layer. A gate voltage dependant conductance decay rate is also observed. We relate these observations to the gate voltage dependant dynamical charge transfer between InSe and GaSe layers.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Electron-Electron Interactions in 2D Semiconductor InSe

Electron-electron interactions (EEIs) in 2D van der Waals structures is one of the topics with high current interest in physics. We report the observation of a negative parabolic magnetoresistance (MR) in multilayer 2D semiconductor InSe beyond the low-field weak localization/antilocalization regime, and provide evidence for the EEI origin of this MR behavior. Further, we analyze this negative parabolic MR and other observed quantum transport signatures of EEIs (temperature dependent conductance and Hall coefficient) within the framework of Fermi liquid theory and extract the gate voltage tunable Fermi liquid parameter $F_0^σ$ which quantifies the electron spin-exchange interaction strength.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Tuning Rashba Spin-Orbit Coupling in Gated Multilayer InSe

Manipulating the electron spin with the aid of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is an indispensable element of spintronics. Electrostatically gating a material with strong SOC results in an effective magnetic field which can in turn be used to govern the electron spin. In this work, we report the existence and electrostatic tunability of Rashba SOC in multilayer InSe. We observed a gate-voltage-tuned crossover from weak localization (WL) to weak antilocalization (WAL) effect in quantum transport studies of InSe, which suggests an increasing SOC strength. Quantitative analyses of magneto-transport studies and energy band diagram calculations provide strong evidence for the predominance of Rashba SOC in electrostatically gated InSe. Furthermore, we attribute the tendency of the SOC strength to saturate at high gate voltages to the increased electronic density of states-induced saturation of the electric field experienced by the electrons in the InSe layer. This explanation of nonlinear gate voltage control of Rashba SOC can be generalized to other electrostatically gated semiconductor nanomaterials in which a similar tendency of spin-orbit length saturation was observed (e.g. nanowire field effect transistors), and is thus of broad implications in spintronics. Identifying and controlling the Rashba SOC in InSe may serve pivotally in devising III-VI semiconductor-based spintronic devices in the future.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Broken mirror symmetry tuned topological transport in PbTe/SnTe heterostructures

The tunability of topological surface states and controllable opening of the Dirac gap are of great importance to the application of topological materials. In topological crystalline insulators (TCIs), crystal symmetry and topology of electronic bands intertwine to create topological surface states and thus the Dirac gap can be modulated by symmetry breaking structural changes of lattice. By transport measurement on heterostructures composed of p-type topological crystalline insulator SnTe and n-type conventional semiconductor PbTe, here we show a giant linear magnetoresistance (up to 2150% under 14 T at 2 K) induced by the Dirac Fermions at the PbTe/SnTe interface. In contrast, PbTe/SnTe samples grown at elevated temperature exhibit a cubic-to-rhombohedral structural phase transition of SnTe lattice below 100 K and weak antilocalization effect. Such distinctive magneto-resistance behavior is attributed to the broken mirror symmetry and gapping of topological surface states. Our work provides a promising application for future magneto-electronics and spintronics based on TCI heterostructures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Anisotropic electrical resistance in mesoscopic LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ devices with individual domain walls

The crystal structure of bulk SrTiO$_3$(STO) transitions from cubic to tetragonal at around 105K. Recent local scanning probe measurements of LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ (LAO/STO) interfaces indicated the existence of spatially inhomogeneous electrical current paths and electrostatic potential associated with the structural domain formation in the tetragonal phase of STO. However, how these effects impact the electron conduction in LAO/STO devices has not been fully studied. Here we report a study of temperature dependent electronic transport in combination with the polarized light microscopy of structural domains in mesoscopic scale LAO/STO devices. By reducing the spatial size of the conductive interface to be comparable to the size of a single tetragonal domain of STO, the anisotropy of interfacial electron conduction in relationship to the domain wall and its direction was characterized in the temperature range $T$=10-300K. It was found that the four-point resistance measured with current parallel to the domain wall in device is larger than the resistance measured perpendicular to the domain wall. This observation is qualitatively consistent with the current diverting effect from a more conductive domain wall within the sample. Among all the samples studied, the maximum resistance ratio found is at least 10 and could be as large as 10$^5$ at $T$=10K. This electronic anisotropy may have implications on other oxide hetero-interfaces and the further understanding of electronic/magnetic phenomena found in LAO/STO.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Screening limited switching performance of multilayer 2D semiconductor FETs: the case for SnS

Gate tunable p-type multilayer tin mono-sulfide (SnS) field-effect transistor (FET) devices with SnS thickness between 50 and 100 nm were fabricated and studied to understand their performances. The devices showed anisotropic inplane conductance and room temperature field effect mobilities ~5 - 10 cm$^2$/Vs. However, the devices showed appreciable OFF state conductance and an ON-OFF ratio ~10 at room temperature. The weak gate tuning behavior in the depletion regime of SnS devices is explained by the finite carrier screening length effect which causes the existence of a conductive surface layer from intrinsic defects induced holes in SnS. Through etching and n-type surface doping by Cs2CO3 to reduce/compensate the not-gatable holes near SnS flake's top surface, the devices gained an order of magnitude improvement in the ON-OFF ratio and hole Hall mobility ~ 100 cm$^2$/Vs at room temperature is observed. This work suggests that in order to obtain effective switching and low OFF state power consumption, two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor based depletion mode FETs should limit their thickness to within the Debye screening length of carriers in the semiconductor.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Linear magneto-resistance versus weak antilocalization effects in Bi$_2$Te$_3$ films

In chalcogenide topological insulator materials, two types of magneto-resistance (MR) effects are widely discussed: a positive MR dip around zero magnetic field associated with the weak antilocalization (WAL) effect and a linear MR effect which generally persists to high fields and high temperatures. We have studied the MR of topological insulator Bi2Te3 films from the metallic to semiconducting transport regime. While in metallic samples, the WAL is difficult to identify due to the smallness of the WAL compared to the samples' conductivity, the sharp WAL dip in the MR is clearly present in the samples with higher resistivity. To correctly account for the low field MR by the quantitative theory of WAL according to the Hikami-Larkin-Nagaoka (HLN) model, we find that the classical (linear) MR effect should be separated from the WAL quantum correction. Otherwise the WAL fitting alone yields an unrealistically large coefficient $α$ in the HLN analysis.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Intrinsic electron mobility exceeding 1000 cm$^2$/Vs in multilayer InSe FETs

Graphene-like two-dimensional (2D) materials, not only are interesting for their exotic electronic structure and fundamental electronic transport or optical properties but also, hold promises for device miniaturization down to atomic thickness. As one material belonging to this category, InSe is not only a promising candidate for optoelectronic devices but also has potential for ultrathin field effect transistor (FET) with high mobility transport. In this work, various substrates such as PMMA, bare silicon oxide, passivated silicon oxide, and silicon nitride were used to fabricate multi-layer InSe FET devices. Through back gating and Hall measurement in four-probe configuration, the devices' field effect mobility and intrinsic Hall mobility were extracted at various temperatures to study the material's intrinsic transport behavior and the effect of dielectric substrate. The sample's field effect and Hall mobilities over the range of 77-300K fall in the range of 0.1-2.0$\times$10$^3$ cm$^2$/Vs, which are comparable or better than the state of the art FETs made of 2D transition metal-dichalcogenides.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Granularity Controlled Non-Saturating Linear Magneto-resistance in Topological Insulator Bi2Te3 Films

We report on the magneto-transport properties of chemical vapor deposition grown films of interconnected Bi2Te3 nanoplates. Similar to many other topological insulator (TI) materials, these granular Bi2Te3 films exhibit a linear magneto-resistance (LMR) effect which has received much recent attention. Studying samples with different degree of granularity, we find a universal correlation between the magnitude of the LMR and the average mobility (<μ>) of the films over nearly two orders of magnitude change of <μ>. The granularity controlled LMR effect here is attributed to the mobility fluctuation induced classical LMR according to the Parish-Littlewood theory. These findings have implications to both the fundamental understanding and magneto-resistive device applications of TI and small bandgap semiconductor materials.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Evidence for a New Intermediate Phase in a Strongly Correlated 2D System near Wigner Crystallization

How the two dimensional (2D) quantum Wigner crystal (WC) transforms into the metallic liquid phase remains to be an outstanding problem in physics. In theories considering the 2D WC to liquid transition in the clean limit, it was suggested that a number of intermediate phases might exist. We have studied the transformation between the metallic fluid phase and the low magnetic field reentrant insulating phase (RIP) which was interpreted as due to WC formation [Qiu et al, PRL 108, 106404 (2012)], in a strongly correlated 2D hole system with large interaction parameter $r_s$ ($\sim~$20-30) and high mobility. Instead of a sharp transition, we found that increasing density (or lowering $r_s$) drives the RIP into a state where the incipient RIP coexists with Fermi liquid. This apparent mixture phase intermediate between Fermi liquid and WC also exhibits a non-trivial temperature dependent resistivity behavior which may be qualitatively understood by the reversed melting of WC in the mixture, in analogy to the Pomeranchuk effect in the solid-liquid mixture of Helium-3.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Impact of Short-Range Scattering on the Metallic Transport of Strongly Correlated 2D Holes in GaAs Quantum Wells

Understanding the non-monotonic behavior in the temperature dependent resistance, R(T), of strongly correlated two-dimensional (2D) carriers in clean semiconductors has been a central issue in the studies of 2D metallic states and metal-insulator-transitions. We have studied the transport of high mobility 2D holes in 20nm wide GaAs quantum wells (QWs) with varying short-range disorder strength by changing the Al fraction x in the Al_xGa_{1-x}As barrier. Via varying the short range interface roughness and alloy scattering, it is observed that increasing x suppresses both the strength and characteristic temperature scale of the 2D metallicity, pointing to the distinct role of short-range versus long-range disorder in the 2D metallic transport in this correlated 2D hole system with interaction parameter r_s~ 20.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

One-Dimensional Quantum Confinement Effect Modulated Thermoelectric Properties in InAs Nanowires

We report electrical conductance and thermopower measurements on InAs nanowires synthesized by chemical vapor deposition. Gate modulation of the thermopower of individual InAs nanowires with diameter around 20nm is obtained over T=40 to 300K. At low temperatures (T< ~100K), oscillations in the thermopower and power factor concomitant with the stepwise conductance increases are observed as the gate voltage shifts the chemical potential of electrons in InAs nanowire through quasi-one-dimensional (1D) sub-bands. This work experimentally shows the possibility to modulate semiconductor nanowire's thermoelectric properties through the peaked 1D electronic density of states in the diffusive transport regime, a long-sought goal in nanostructured thermoelectrics research. Moreover, we point out the importance of scattering (or disorder) induced energy level broadening in smearing out the 1D confinement enhanced thermoelectric power factor at practical temperatures (e.g. 300K).

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Ambipolar Surface Conduction in Ternary Topological Insulator Bi_2(Te_{1-x}Se_x)_3 Nanoribbons

We report the composition and gate voltage induced tuning of transport properties in chemically synthesized Bi2(Te1-xSex)3 nanoribbons. It is found that increasing Se concentration effectively suppresses the bulk carrier transport and induces semiconducting behavior in the temperature dependent resistance of Bi2(Te1-xSex)3 nanoribbons when x is greater than ~10%. In Bi2(Te1-xSex)3 nanoribbons with x ~20%, gate voltage enables ambipolar modulation of resistance (or conductance) in samples with thickness around or larger than 100nm, indicating significantly enhanced contribution in transport from the gapless surface states.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗