Molecular beam epitaxy of superconducting FeSexTe1−x thin films interfaced with magnetic topological insulators

Abstract

Engineering heterostructures with various types of quantum materials can provide an intriguing playground for studying exotic physics induced by the proximity effect. Here, we report on the successful synthesis of iron-based superconductor FeSexTe1−x (FST) thin films across the entire composition range of 0≤x≤1 and its heterostructure with a magnetic topological insulator (TI) by using molecular beam epitaxy. Superconductivity is observed in the FST films with an optimal superconducting transition temperature Tc∼12 K at around x=0.1. We found that superconductivity survives in the very Te-rich films (x≤0.05), showing stark contrast with bulk crystals with suppression of superconductivity due to an appearance of bicollinear antiferromagnetism accompanied by a monoclinic structural transition. By examining thickness t dependence of magnetic susceptibility and electrical transport properties, we observed a trend where anomalies associated with the first-order structural transition broaden in films with below t∼100 nm. We infer this observation suggests a suppression of the structural instability near substrates. Furthermore, we fabricated an all chalcogenide-based heterointerface between FST and a magnetic TI (Cr,Bi,Sb)2Te3, observing both superconductivity and a large anomalous Hall conductivity. The anomalous Hall conductivity increases with decreasing temperature, approaching the quantized value of e2/h down to the measurable minimum temperature at Tc. The result suggests coexistence of magnetic and superconducting gaps at low temperatures opening at the top and bottom surfaces, respectively. Our magnetic TI/superconductor heterostructure could be an ideal platform to explore chiral Majorana edge mode.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

Similar papers