Abstract
Using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, we visualized the native defects in antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnBi2Te4. Two native defects, MnBi and BiTe antisites, can be well resolved in the topographic images. MnBi tend to suppress the density of states at the conduction band edge. Spectroscopy imaging reveals a localized peaklike local density of state at ∼80 meV below the Fermi energy. A careful inspection of topographic and spectroscopic images, combined with density functional theory calculation, suggests this results from BiMn antisites at Mn sites. The random distribution of MnBi and BiMn antisites results in spatial fluctuation of local density of states near the Fermi level in MnBi2Te4.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 121202 |
| Journal | Physical Review Materials |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 21 2020 |
Funding
The STM work at Rutgers was supported by NSF Grants No. DMR-1506618 and No. EFMA-1542798. W.W. acknowledges the support from ARO Grant No. W911NF2010108. The crystal growth (J.Y.) and DFT calculation (M.-H.D.) at ORNL were supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division. ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 for the U.S. Department of Energy. The U.S. Government retains, and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the U.S. Government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript or allow others to do so for U.S. Government purposes.