Abstract
The field of spintronics has seen a surge of interest in altermagnetism due to novel predictions and many possible applications. MnTe is a leading altermagnetic candidate that is of significant interest across spintronics due to its layered antiferromagnetic structure, high Neel temperature (TN ≈ 310 K) and semiconducting properties. The results on molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) grown MnTe/InP(111) films are presented. Here, it is found that the electronic and magnetic properties are driven by the natural stoichiometry of MnTe. Electronic transport and in situ angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy show the films are natively metallic with the Fermi level in the valence band and the band structure is in good agreement with first-principles calculations for altermagnetic spin-splitting. Neutron diffraction confirms that the film is antiferromagnetic with planar anisotropy and polarized neutron reflectometry indicates weak ferromagnetism, which is linked to a slight Mn-richness that is intrinsic to the MBE-grown samples. When combined with the anomalous Hall effect, this work shows that the electronic response is strongly affected by the ferromagnetic moment. Altogether, this highlights potential mechanisms for controlling altermagnetic ordering for diverse spintronic applications.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 2405829 |
| Journal | Advanced Functional Materials |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | 46 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 12 2024 |
Funding
This work was supported by the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Materials Sciences and Engineering Division (growth, neutron scattering, transport, density functional calculations, analysis, and manuscript preparation). Portions of this work were supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, National Quantum Information Science Research Centers, Quantum Science Center (Q.L. and R.G.M., spectroscopy, analysis, and manuscript preparation). E.F. and H.C. acknowledge the support of US DOE BES Early Career Award No. KC0402020 for neutron diffraction and manuscript preparation. This research used resources at the High Flux Isotope Reactor and the Spallation Neutron Source, the DOE Office of Science User Facility operated by ORNL. The electron microscopy work at Brookhaven National Laboratory was supported by the U. S. DOE, Office of Science, BES, Materials Science and Engineering Division under Contract No. DESC0012704. Some of the neutron reflectivity was also supported by the NNSA's Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Los Alamos National Laboratory, an affirmative action\u2010equal opportunity employer, is managed by Triad National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's NNSA, under contract 89233218CNA000001. I.G. was sponsored by the Army Research Office under grant No. W911NF\u201020\u20102\u20100166; Q.D. and Q.T. were supported by the National Science Foundation Electronic and Photonic Materials program under grant no. DMR\u20102213891 for optical measurements. This work was supported by the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Materials Sciences and Engineering Division (growth, neutron scattering, transport, density functional calculations, analysis, and manuscript preparation). Portions of this work were supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, National Quantum Information Science Research Centers, Quantum Science Center (Q.L. and R.G.M., spectroscopy, analysis, and manuscript preparation). E.F. and H.C. acknowledge the support of US DOE BES Early Career Award No. KC0402020 for neutron diffraction and manuscript preparation. This research used resources at the High Flux Isotope Reactor and the Spallation Neutron Source, the DOE Office of Science User Facility operated by ORNL. The electron microscopy work at Brookhaven National Laboratory was supported by the U. S. DOE, Office of Science, BES, Materials Science and Engineering Division under Contract No. DESC0012704. Some of the neutron reflectivity was also supported by the NNSA's Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Los Alamos National Laboratory, an affirmative action-equal opportunity employer, is managed by Triad National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's NNSA, under contract 89233218CNA000001. I.G. was sponsored by the Army Research Office under grant No. W911NF-20-2-0166; Q.D. and Q.T. were supported by the National Science Foundation Electronic and Photonic Materials\u00A0program under grant no. DMR-2213891 for optical measurements.
Keywords
- MnTe
- altermagnetism
- molecular beam epitaxy
- quantum materials
- spintronics