arXiv subjects

Yu-Hao Chang

Publications and source records attributed to Yu-Hao Chang.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Near-half-metallic state in the half Heusler PtMnSb film on a III-V substrate

The interplay between half-metallic ferromagnetism and spin-orbit coupling within the inversion symmetry-broken structure of half Heuslers provides an ideal platform for various spintronics functionalities. Taking advantage of good lattice matching, it is highly desired to epitaxially integrate promising Heuslers into III-V semiconductor-based devices. PtMnSb is one of the first half Heuslers predicted to be an above-room-temperature half-metal with large spin orbit coupling, however, its half-metallicity and potential as a spintronics material has remained elusive due to lack of high quality samples. Here we demonstrate epitaxial growth of single crystal PtMnSb(001) film on GaSb(001) substrates using molecular beam epitaxy. Direct observation of the band structure via angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and many-body perturbation theory within the quasiparticle self-consistent GW approximation (QPGW) reveal that PtMnSb hosts rather a near-halfmetallic state with both spin bands crossing the Fermi level and with high spin polarization over 90%. Temperature dependence of magnetization also shows an anomalous enhancement below 60 K, which can be associated with the development of such a near-half-metallic state at low temperatures. Epitaxial growth of high crystalline PtMnSb on a III-V paves the way for systematic clarification of its spin transport properties with fine-tuning of strain in heterostructure devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

First Principles Assessment of CdTe as a Tunnel Barrier at the $\mathbfα$-Sn/InSb Interface

Majorana zero modes, with prospective applications in topological quantum computing, are expected to arise in superconductor/semiconductor interfaces, such as $β$-Sn and InSb. However, proximity to the superconductor may also adversely affect the semiconductor's local properties. A tunnel barrier inserted at the interface could resolve this issue. We assess the wide band gap semiconductor, CdTe, as a candidate material to mediate the coupling at the lattice-matched interface between $α$-Sn and InSb. To this end, we use density functional theory (DFT) with Hubbard U corrections, whose values are machine-learned via Bayesian optimization (BO) [npj Computational Materials 6, 180 (2020)]. The results of DFT+U(BO) are validated against angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) experiments for $α$-Sn and CdTe. For CdTe, the z-unfolding method [Advanced Quantum Technologies, 5, 2100033 (2022)] is used to resolve the contributions of different $k_z$ values to the ARPES. We then study the band offsets and the penetration depth of metal-induced gap states (MIGS) in bilayer interfaces of InSb/$α$-Sn, InSb/CdTe, and CdTe/$α$-Sn, as well as in tri-layer interfaces of InSb/CdTe/$α$-Sn with increasing thickness of CdTe. We find that 16 atomic layers (3.5 nm) of CdTe can serve as a tunnel barrier, effectively shielding the InSb from MIGS from the $α$-Sn. This may guide the choice of dimensions of the CdTe barrier to mediate the coupling in semiconductor-superconductor devices in future Majorana zero modes experiments.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Controlling magnetoresistance by tuning semimetallicity through dimensional confinement and heteroepitaxy

Controlling the electronic properties via bandstructure engineering is at the heart of modern semiconductor devices. Here, we extend this concept to semimetals where, utilizing LuSb as a model system, we show that quantum confinement lifts carrier compensation and differentially affects the mobility of the electron and hole-like carriers resulting in a strong modification in its large, non-saturating magnetoresistance behavior. Bonding mismatch at the heteroepitaxial interface of a semimetal (LuSb) and a semiconductor (GaSb) leads to the emergence of a novel, two-dimensional, interfacial hole gas and is accompanied by a charge transfer across the interface that provides another avenue to modify the electronic structure and magnetotransport properties in the ultra-thin limit. Our work lays out a general strategy of utilizing confined thin film geometries and heteroepitaxial interfaces to engineer electronic structure in semimetallic systems, which allows control over their magnetoresistance behavior and simultaneously, provides insights into its origin.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Identifying the fingerprints of topological states by tuning magnetoresistance in a semimetal: the case of topological half-Heusler Pt1-xAuxLuSb

Topological materials often exhibit remarkably linear, non-saturating magnetoresistance (LMR), which is both of scientific and technological importance. However, the role of topologically non-trivial states in the emergence of such a behaviour has eluded clear demonstration in experiments. Here, by reducing the coupling between the topological surface states (TSS) and the bulk carriers we controllably tune the LMR behavior in Pt1-xAuxLuSb into distinct plateaus in Hall resistance, which we show arise from a quantum Hall phase. This allowed us to reveal how smearing of the Landau levels, which otherwise give rise to a quantum Hall phase, results in an LMR behavior due to strong interaction between the TSS with a positive g-factor and the bulk carriers. We establish that controlling the coupling strength between the surface and the bulk carriers in topological materials can bring about dramatic changes in their magnetotransport behavior. In addition, our work outlines a strategy to reveal macroscopic physical observables of TSS in compounds with a semi-metallic bulk band structure, as is the case in multi-functional Heusler compounds, thereby opening up opportunities for their utilization in hybrid quantum structures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Weak antilocalization in quasi-two-dimensional electronic states of epitaxial LuSb thin films

Observation of large non-saturating magnetoresistance in rare-earth monopnictides has raised enormous interest in understanding the role of its electronic structure. Here, by a combination of molecular-beam epitaxy, low-temperature transport, angle-resolved photoemssion spectroscopy, and hybrid density functional theory we have unveiled the bandstructure of LuSb, where electron-hole compensation is identified as a mechanism responsible for large magnetoresistance in this topologically trivial compound. In contrast to bulk single crystal analogues, quasi-two-dimensional behavior is observed in our thin films for both electron and holelike carriers, indicative of dimensional confinement of the electronic states. Introduction of defects through growth parameter tuning results in the appearance of quantum interference effects at low temperatures, which has allowed us to identify the dominant inelastic scattering processes and elucidate the role of spin-orbit coupling. Our findings open up new possibilities of band structure engineering and control of transport properties in rare-earth monopnictides via epitaxial synthesis.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗