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

Yuki Sato1,*,†, Soma Nagahama2,*, Ilya Belopolski1, Ryutaro Yoshimi1, Minoru Kawamura1, Atsushi Tsukazaki3, Naoya Kanazawa4, Kei S. Takahashi1, Masashi Kawasaki1,2 et al.

Yoshinori Tokura1,2,5

  • 1RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), Wako 351-0198, Japan
  • 2Department of Applied Physics and Quantum-Phase Electronics Center (QPEC), University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
  • 3Institute for Materials Research (IMR), Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
  • 4Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan
  • 5Tokyo College, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †yuki.sato.yj@riken.jp

Phys. Rev. Materials 8, L041801 – Published 11 April, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.8.L041801

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.

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