Study Of Thickness Dependence Research Articles

Modulating spin current induced effective damping in β–W/Py heterostructures by a systematic variation in resistivity of the sputtered deposited β–W films

Utilizing the spin-induced pumping from a ferromagnet (FM) into a heavy metal (HM) under the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) condition, we report an enhancement in effective damping in β- W/Py bilayers by systematically varying resistivity (ρ W ) of β-W films. Different resistivity ranging from 100 μΩ-cm to 1400 μΩ-cm with a thickness of 8 nm can be achieved by varying the argon pressure (P Ar ) during the growth by the method of sputtering. The coefficient of effective damping α eff is observed to increase from 0.010 to 0.025 with ρ W , which can be modulated by P Ar . We observe a modest dependence of α eff on the sputtering power (p S ) while keeping the P Ar constant. α eff dependence on both P Ar and p S suggests that there exists a strong correlation between α eff and ρ W . It is thus possible to utilize ρ W as a tuning parameter to regulate the α eff , which can be advantageous for faster magnetization dynamics switching. The thickness dependence study of Py in the aforementioned bilayers manifests a higher spin mixing conductance ( geff↑↓ ) which suggests a strong spin pumping from Py into the β-W layer. The effective spin current (J S(eff)) is also evaluated by considering the spin-back flow in this process. Intrinsic spin mixing conductance ( gW↑↓ ) and spin diffusion length (λ SD ) of β-W are additionally investigated using thickness variations in β-W. Furthermore, the low-temperature study in β-W/Py reveals an intriguing temperature dependence in α eff which is quite different from α b of single Py layer and the enhancement in α eff at low temperature can be attributed to the spin-induced pumping from Py layer into β-W.

Tin oxide thin films on Ag(111): Thickness and temperature dependent study of surface structure and electronic properties

Growth and structure of tin oxide films on Ag(111) from submonolayer to 10 monolayer equivalent thickness have been studied using low energy electron diffraction (LEED), x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy techniques for room temperature (RT) and high temperature (HT) (573 K). For RT growth, most of the tin is oxidised to form tin oxide (SnOx) as confirmed by XPS where no metallic component is noticed. However, the grown films are not epitaxial or ordered which can be confirmed by no spots in LEED for higher coverage. Metallic Sn along with two oxidation states of Sn are noticed for HT growth, with the surface mainly composed of SnO2. LEED pattern shows the presence of c(2 × 2) and (3 × 1) along with two different hexagonal multidomain type patterns. The electronic structure for lower coverage resembled the Sn/Ag(111) alloy structures for lower coverage. For higher coverages appearance of three bands below 2 eV binding energy was noticed.

(Invited) Electrochemistry Happens at the Interface

Earth-abundant, active, selective and stable electrocatalysts are the cornerstone in our transition to defossilisation of the chemical industry, sector coupling, and sustainable energy. The catalyst surface is known to transform at the interface to the electrolyte, especially under operation conditions. Only the properties of the transformed interface coupled to the underlying layer gives rise to observed metrics like activity and stability. This complicates predictive electrocatalyst materials design – a challenge which can only be tackled by collaborative and interdisciplinary efforts, at the Interface between Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science, and Engineering. I believe this presents one of the main tasks for the young electrochemistry researchers in Europe and around the world, especially since the same challenges also arise in related technologies like Li-ion batteries.In my talk I will discuss how the old wisdom from semiconductor research “the Interface is the device” can be translated into the current challenge “Electrochemistry happens at the Interface”. We need new approaches in designing and studying these electrochemical interfaces for fundamental insights that may in a next step yield better performance in future applications. The talk will be split in two parts.Firstly, I will introduce how single crystalline surfaces can be obtained using epitaxial thin films, and discuss how these can be used to derive atomic-level structure-property relations by synergetic experimental and theoretical investigation. Such films can be fabricated with unit-cell or even atomic-layer precision and enable direct comparison to single facets typically investigated in density functional theory.Secondly, I will discuss opportunities and challenges in surface-sensitive operando characterization in a liquid medium.1 Information from the outermost surface of a catalyst can be obtained through a standing-wave approach2,3 or extraction of a surface-only signal from careful thickness-dependent studies.4 In my ERC project “Interfaces at work”, we are also developing interface-sensitive, laboratory-based operando X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy approaches based on the new XPS user facility at the University of Twente.Throughout the talk, I will refer to examples from LaNiO3 thin films, which are atomically flat both before and after application as electrocatalysts for the OER during water electrolysis. We selectively tuned the surface cationic composition in epitaxial growth. The Ni-termination is approximately twice as active for the OER as the La-termination.2 Our ex situ and operando characterization confirmed that the surface transformation pathways – and therefore the electrochemical functionality – depend on a single atomic layer at the surface. A second example will be the introduction of multi-cation compositions in so-called high entropy perovskite oxides (HEO), which can maximize the catalytic activity. The HEO LaCr0.2Mn0.2Fe0.2Co0.2Ni0.2O3-δ outperforms all of its parent compounds (single TM-site element in the LaTMO3 perovskite) by orders of magnitude.5 X-ray photoemission studies reveal a synergistic effect of simultaneous oxidation and reduction of different transition metal cations during adsorption of reaction intermediates. Rao, R. R., van den Bosch, I. C. G. & Baeumer, C. Operando X-ray characterization of interfacial charge transfer and structural rearrangements. in Reference Module in Chemistry, Molecular Sciences and Chemical Engineering 1–24 (Elsevier, 2023). doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-85669-0.00068-4.Baeumer, C. et al. Tuning electrochemically driven surface transformation in atomically flat LaNiO3 thin films for enhanced water electrolysis. Nat Mater 20, 674–682 (2021).Martins, H. P. et al. Near total reflection x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy: quantifying chemistry at solid/liquid and solid/solid interfaces. J Phys D Appl Phys 54, 464002 (2021).Baeumer, C. Operando characterization of interfacial charge transfer processes. J Appl Phys 129, 170901 (2021).Kante, M. V et al. A High-Entropy Oxide as High-Activity Electrocatalyst for Water Oxidation. ACS Nano (2023) doi:10.1021/acsnano.2c08096. Figure 1

Thickness dependent studies on p-type K-doped ZnS nanostructured films grown via colloid-based solution route for ambipolar optoelectronic applications

Potassium-doped Zinc Sulphide (K:ZnS) nanostructured films were deposited on silica substrates using a colloid-based solution method, with varying thicknesses from 3 to 6 coats. The films exhibited p-type electrical conductivity and favorable optical properties for ambipolar and optoelectronic device fabrication. X-ray analysis confirmed a polycrystalline cubic phase in all the films, with crystallite sizes of 7–27 nm. Scanning electron micrographs revealed spherical globular grains of sizes 1.20–2.84 μm, leading to improved compactness with thicker films. UV/VIS analysis demonstrated a red-shifted band gap with increasing thickness. Photoluminescence under UV excitation revealed a peak at 477 nm attributed to K-induced trap levels. The electrical resistivity (1.34–6.00) × 102 Ω⋅cm, carrier concentration (4.63–13.33) × 1015 cm−3, and mobility (2.25–3.50) cm2/V·s varied with film thickness. The minimum resistivity of 1.34 × 102 (Ω⋅cm), maximum conductivity of 7.46 × 10−3 (Ω−1⋅cm−1), and highest mobility of 3.50 (cm2/V·s) were obtained for K:ZnS-6 film.

Investigation of the effect of neighboring materials on the Anomalous Nernst effect

The Anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) is an important mechanism that enables magnetic metals to be used for heat-to-electrical energy conversion. This phenomenon has been thought to be independent of neighboring layers. Contrary to this assumption, this paper shows theoretical and experimental evidence of how the neighboring layer affects the ANE voltage signal. First, we investigated the voltage generated in a Py/Cu bilayer, with Ta, Pt, and SiO2 as capping layer materials. Next, we performed a Py thickness dependence study of the thermal voltage in the same sample sets. Both simulated and experimental results suggest that the spin current calculated/measured within the ferromagnetic materials can be altered by the boundary conditions, and the effect of the neighboring materials is more significant for thin Py. Second, we compared the thermal voltages generated from the sample 3Py/6Cu/3Py/4SiO2 and 3Py/6Pt/3Py/4SiO2. Then, the thermal voltage generated from the same sample set was examined after insertion of a silicon dioxide layer, as in 3Py/3Cu/2SiO2/3Cu/3Py/4SiO2 and 3Py/3Pt/2SiO2/3Pt/3Py/4SiO2. We found that the insertion of the SiO2 layer between two Cu layers lowers the size of the thermal voltage remarkably comparing to when the SiO2 layer is inserted between two Pt layers.

Thickness dependent microstructural and magnetic studies of iron embedded PVA nanocomposite films

This paper presents the structural and magnetic properties of polyvinyl alcohol/iron (PVA/Fe) nanocomposite films. Iron (Fe) films of different thicknesses were deposited on a PVA substrate using ion beam sputtering. The Fe nanoparticle layer thickness ranges from 3 to 50 nm on the PVA substrate. Grazing incidence x-ray diffraction has been carried out to study the structural behavior of the prepared films. An atomic force microscope records the indicated remarkable change in the roughness of the nanocomposite film as a result of initiation of vertical growth of sputtered Fe nanoparticles.Magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE) magnetometry and MOKE spectroscopy have been employed to evaluate the magnetic property and simultaneously study the real time growth of the magnetic domain structure for both 0° and 90° azimuthal angles. MOKE microscopic images indicated the magnetization reversal commensurate with the hysteresis loop of the nanocomposites. All the films show soft ferromagnetic behavior. Gradual development of the domain structure is observed in the MOKE micrograph with the increase in the thickness of Fe nanoparticle deposition. Ex situ magnetic force micrographs of the magnetic domain structures supported the observation of MOKE microscopic studies, which indicated switching of in-plane magnetization to out-of-plane magnetization near an Fe nanoparticle deposition thickness of 40 nm. The PVA matrix appears to be an effective material to support the growth of magnetic properties in the PVA/Fe nanocomposite system. The evolution of Fe nanostructures on PVA and the resulting magnetic behavior have been discussed.

Optical Effect Modulation in Polarized Raman Spectroscopy of Transparent Layered α-MoO3.

Optical anisotropy, which is quantified by birefringence (Δn) and linear dichroism (Δk), can significantly modulate the angle-resolved polarized Raman spectroscopy (ARPRS) response of anisotropic layered materials (ALMs) by external interference. This work studies the separate modulation of birefringence on the ARPRS response and the intrinsic response by selecting transparent birefringent crystal α-MoO3 as an excellent platform. It is found that there are several anomalous ARPRS responses in α-MoO3 that cannot be reproduced by the real Raman tensor widely used in non-absorbing materials; however, they can be well explained by considering the birefringence-induced Raman selection rules. Moreover, the systematic thickness-dependent study indicates that birefringence modulates the ARPRS response to render an interference pattern; however, the amplitude of modulation is considerably lower than that by linear dichroism as occurred in black phosphorous. This weak modulation brings convenience to the crystal orientation determination of transparent ALMs. Combining the atomic vibrational pattern and bond polarizability model, the intrinsic ARPRS response of α-MoO3 is analyzed, giving the physical origins of the Raman anisotropy. This study employs α-MoO3 as an example, although it is generally applicable to all transparent birefringent ALMs.

Growth of ultrathin Bi2Se3 films by molecular beam epitaxy

Bi 2 Se 3 is a widely studied 3D topological insulator having potential applications in optics, electronics, and spintronics. When the thickness of these films decreases to less than approximately 6 nm, the top and bottom surface states couple, resulting in the opening of a small gap at the Dirac point. In the 2D limit, Bi2Se3 may exhibit quantum spin Hall states. However, growing coalesced ultrathin Bi2Se3 films with a controllable thickness and typical triangular domain morphology in the few nanometer range is challenging. Here, we explore the growth of Bi2Se3 films having thicknesses down to 4 nm on sapphire substrates using molecular beam epitaxy that were then characterized with Hall measurements, atomic force microscopy, and Raman imaging. We find that substrate pretreatment—growing and decomposing a few layers of Bi2Se3 before the actual deposition—is critical to obtaining a completely coalesced film. In addition, higher growth rates and lower substrate temperatures led to improvement in surface roughness, in contrast to what is observed for conventional epitaxy. Overall, coalesced ultrathin Bi2Se3 films with lower surface roughness enable thickness-dependent studies across the transition from a 3D-topological insulator to one with gapped surface states in the 2D regime.

Large spin hall conductivity in low-symmetry semiconductor ZrSe3

Spin-orbit torques (SOTs) in two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) based on magnetic heterostructures have drawn extensive attentions owning to their potential applications in spintronic devices. Here, we investigated the current-induced SOTs in ZrSe3, which is a 2D van der Waals semiconductor characterized by both strong spin-orbit coupling and broken crystal symmetry. A large SOT efficiency along with an out-of-plane damping-like torque is achieved, when the charge current is applied along the low symmetry crystal axis of ZrSe3. Significantly, the SOT efficiency we detected from ZrSe3 (7.6 nm)/ Py(10 nm) device is up to 2.67, corresponding to a large spin Hall conductivity of 377.1 × 103ℏ/2e (Ω·m)−1. Such a large spin Hall conductivity is superior to most of the conventional heavy metals, TMDs and topological insulators. Thickness dependence study further demonstrates the main contribution to the large SOTs is bulk spin Hall effect in ZrSe3. Combining the notable out-of-plane damping-like SOT with high spin Hall conductivity, our study provides a new strategy for low-power SOT devices based on 2D semiconductors.

Optical determination of layered-materials InSe thickness via RGB contrast method and regression analysis

Indium selenide (InSe) features intriguing thickness-dependent optoelectronic properties, and a simple, and precise way to identify the thickness is essential for the rapid development of InSe research. Here, a red, green, and blue (RGB) color contrast method with regression analysis for quantitative correlation of three optical contrasts from RGB channels with the InSe thickness (1–35 nm), is demonstrated. The lower accuracy of the thickness identification obtained from the individual channels was discussed. Moreover, the effective refractive indices in the three RGB regions can be extracted from the Fresnel equation and numerical analysis by finding the best fit to the experimental optical contrast. After further consideration of the wavelength-dependent refractive indices, the slope of the regression line between the estimated thickness and that obtained from the atomic force microscope was improved from 1.59 ± 0.05 to 0.97 ± 0.02. The complex refractive index spectra of InSe (1–10 layers) generated from ab initio numerical calculation results were also adopted to identify the InSe thickness. Compared to dispersion, the evolution of the band structure had less effect on thickness identification. This work could be extended to other layered materials, facilitate the thickness-dependent study of layered materials, and expedite the realization of their practical applications.

Modulations in electrical properties of sputter deposited vanadium oxide thin films: Implication for electronic device applications

• Optimized growth of polycrystalline VO 2 films on SiO 2 /Si substrates by Sputtering. • Appreciable insulator to metal transition (IMT) observed down to 23 nm film thickness. • Film thickness induce systematic modulation in IMT order and IMT temperature. • Low resistivity (∼10 −2 Ω-cm) achieved for insulator state in 23 and 38 nm films. Engineering electronic properties of VO 2 across its insulator to metal transition enable to design wide range of electronic devices operating with low voltage such as memristor, field effect transistor, and in neuromorphic device as an active circuit element. We investigated the electrical and structural properties of sputter deposited VO 2 thin films grown on SiO 2 /Si substrates. In polycrystalline VO 2 films, we observed appreciable insulator to metal transition (IMT) down to film thickness of 23 nm. Further, thickness dependence study reveals a systematic variation in the IMT order between 30-3000, accompanied by modulation in transition temperature and hysteresis. The genesis of the modulations is attributed to morphological and structural growth dynamics. Significantly, we have attained low values for insulating states (∼10 −2 Ω-cm) in low dimensional thin films (23 and 38 nm), which are desirable for Joule heating driven IMT based VO 2 devices with low voltage switching, as well as for sensing applications.

Optical fibre based acetone sensor using Pd modified WO3 nanostructures

Acetone is one of the biomarkers required for breathe analysis. Herein, we report, an optical acetone detector based on Pd decorated WO3 nanostructures (Pd@WO3). The gas sensitive Pd@WO3 is being coated on clad removed fiber optic cable in which refractive index changes after exposure to gases. A fiber optical core made from PMMA is used for detection of light absorbed through the fiber optical cable for different gases such as ammonia, benzene, acetone, NOx, ethanol, methanol, TEA, TMA, toluene and formaldehyde. A thickness dependent study of coating material has been carried out for detection of analyte gas/vapor. Among all tested gases, acetone showed the maximum response with optimized Pd@WO3 coating thickness at 10 µm. Both WO3 and Pd@WO3 showed the response towards test gases but this response was found to be increased for Pd@WO3. Acetone response was studied for lower (20–100 ppm) and higher (100–1000 ppm) gas concentrations at room temperature. Absorption of acetone was found to be increased after increasing the gas concentration. The gas sensing characteristics and sensing mechanism is also discussed in detail.

Molecular Triplet Sensitization of Monolayer Semiconductors in 2D Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Heterostructures.

Hybrid heterostructures (HSs) comprising organic and two-dimensional (2D) monolayer semiconductors hold great promise for optoelectronic applications. So far, research efforts on organic/2D HSs have exclusively focused on coupling directly photoexcited singlets to monolayer semiconductors. It remains unexplored whether and how the optically dark triplets in organic semiconductors with intriguing properties (e.g., long lifetime) can be implemented for modulating light-matter interactions of hybrid HSs. Herein, we investigate the triplet sensitization of monolayer semiconductors by time-resolved spectroscopic studies on Pd-octaethylporphyrin (PdOEP)/WSe2 and PdOEP/WS2 HSs with type I and type II band alignment, respectively. We show that PdOEP triplets formed in ∼5 ps from intersystem crossing can transfer energy or charge to WSe2 or WS2 monolayers, respectively, leading to a significant photoluminescence enhancement (180%) in WSe2 or long-lived charge separation (>2 ns) in WS2. The triplet transfer occurs in ∼100 ns, which is more than 3 orders of magnitude slower than singlet and can be attributed to its tightly localized nature. Further study of thickness dependence reveals the dictating role of triplet diffusion for triplet sensitization in organic/2D HSs. This study shows the great promise of much less explored molecular triplets on sensitizing 2D monolayer semiconductors and provides the guidance to achieve long-range light harvesting and energy migration in organic/2D HSs for enhanced optoelectronic applications.

Superior electromagnetic wave absorption performance of Fe3O4 modified graphene assembled porous carbon (mGAPC) based hybrid foam

High performance Fe3O4 modified graphene assembled porous carbon (mGAPC) based epoxy paint coated on Polyethylene (PE) foam is realized by spray technique to fabricate light weight electromagnetic absorbers. The mGAPC as a pigment in a standard composition of commercial paint was optimized and the influence of solvent and additives are studied to achieve X-band (8.2–12.4 GHz) electromagnetic wave absorption (EA) in the hybrid foam (HF). From the comparative studies, the hybrid foams obtained from epoxy paint with toluene as solvent (without Mn-octate as additive) showed a Reflection Loss (RL) −19 dB (in the range of 8.3–8.7 GHz), which was further increased with the coating cycles up to −43 dB (in 10.2–11.2 GHz).The observed rise is attributed to increase in localized interfacial polarization that arises at the combined interfaces of mGAPC. The result showed 99% loss, which projects a promising EA paint for practical applications. Further thickness dependent studies of EA in Paint Coat HF1, reveals that with increasing thickness from 0.3 to 2 mm, the RL also increases from −19 to −43 dB with changing absorption band. The superior EA properties are correlated to the percolation threshold, pigment dispersibility and further correlated to the strong absorption, destructive interference, multiple internal reflections and interfacial polarization of the radiation in the hybrid foam. Moreover, considering the paint lowest thickness ∼0.3 mm with −19 dB of RL, the hybrid foam promises a cost-effective, fine, light-weight EA/RL material for secure electronic devices and packaging in civil and defence applications.

Tuning the semimetallic charge transport in the Weyl semimetal candidate Eu2Ir2O7 (111) epitaxial thin film with an all-in-all-out spin structure

We report the stoichiometric epitaxial growth of the Eu2Ir2O7 (111) thin film on YSZ substrate by a two-step solid phase epitaxy (SPE) method. An optimized post-annealing environment of the SPE was superior over the conventional air annealing procedure to get rid of the typical impurity phase, Eu2O3. The thickness-dependent structural study on Eu2Ir2O7 (111) thin films suggests a systematic control of Ir/Eu stoichiometry in our films, which is otherwise difficult to achieve. In addition, the low-temperature electrical resistivity studies strongly support the claim. The power-law dependence analysis of the resistivity data exhibits a power exponent of 0.52 in 50 nm sample suggesting possible disorder-driven semimetallic charge transport in the 3D Weyl semimetallic (WSM) candidate Eu2Ir2O7. In addition, the all-in-all-out/all-out-all-in antiferromagnetic domains of Ir4+ sublattice is verified using the field cooled magnetoresistance measurements at 2 K. Hall resistivity analysis indicate semimetallic hole carrier type dominance near the Fermi level up to the measured temperature range of 2–120 K. Altogether, our study reveals the ground state of stoichiometric Eu2Ir2O7 (111) thin film, with an indirect tuning of the off-stoichiometry using thickness of the samples, which is of interest in the search of the predicted 3D WSM phase.

Observation of the Orbital Rashba-Edelstein Magnetoresistance.

We report the observation of magnetoresistance (MR) that could originate from the orbital angular momentum (OAM) transport in a permalloy (Py)/oxidized Cu (Cu^{*}) heterostructure: the orbital Rashba-Edelstein magnetoresistance. The angular dependence of the MR depends on the relative angle between the induced OAM and the magnetization in a similar fashion as the spin Hall magnetoresistance. Despite the absence of elements with large spin-orbit coupling, we find a sizable MR ratio, which is in contrast to the conventional spin Hall magnetoresistance which requires heavy elements. Through Py thickness-dependence studies, we conclude another mechanism beyond the conventional spin-based scenario is responsible for the MR observed in Py/Cu^{*} structures-originated in a sizable transport of OAM. Our findings not only suggest the current-induced torques without using any heavy elements via the OAM channel but also provide an important clue towards the microscopic understanding of the role that OAM transport can play for magnetization dynamics.

Thickness-dependent topological phase transition and Rashba-like preformed topological surface states of α-Sn(001) thin films on InSb(001)

Topological materials, possessing spin-momentum locked topological surface states (TSS), have attracted much interest due to their potential applications in spintronics. \ensuremath{\alpha}-phase Sn (\ensuremath{\alpha}-Sn), being one of them, displays enriched topological phases via band-gap engineering through a strain or confinement effect. In this work, we investigated the band evolution of in-plane compressively strained \ensuremath{\alpha}-Sn(001) thin films on InSb(001) in a wide range of thickness from 3 bilayers (BL) to 370 BL by combining angle-resolved photoemission spectra and first-principles calculations. Gapped surface states evolved to a linearly dispersive TSS at a critical thickness of 6 BL, indicating that the system undergoes a phase transition from topologically trivial to nontrivial. For films thicker than 30 BL, additional Rashba-like surface states (RSS) were identified. These RSS served as preformed TSS in another strain-induced topological phase transition. In thick films, 370-BL \ensuremath{\alpha}-Sn(001), so as to preclude the confinement effect in thin films, our results were consistent with a Dirac semimetal phase with Dirac nodes located along $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}--Z$. This thickness-dependent band-structure study deepens our understanding of topological phase transitions and the evolution of Dirac states. Furthermore, the coexistence of TSS and RSS in a Dirac semimetal \ensuremath{\alpha}-Sn might significantly enhance the potential for spintronic applications.

Metallic capped quasi-two-dimensional electron gas in a SrTiO3-based heterostructure

Two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in SrTiO3 (STO)-based heterostructures has been a subject of intense scientific interest in recent years. In this work, the metallic transition metal dichalcogenides ZrTe2 was grown on STO by pulsed laser deposition and AlN was subsequently deposited as a protection layer. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy results demonstrated the system as a multilayer structure of AlN/ZrTe2/ZrO2/STO due to interface redox reactions and implied a conductive STO surface. The remarkable Shubnikov–de Haas oscillations detected by angular dependent magnetotransport measurements reveal clear evidence of a high mobility quasi-2DEG in the STO-based interface. Moreover, evidence for extra carriers with three-dimensional features is observed implying the multiband contributions, which provide an explanation for some anomalous behavior in STO-based heterostructures. In addition, the thickness dependence study suggests the charge transfer effect between the capping metallic topological material ZrTe2 and the interfacial 2DEG. This work provides insight into the intrinsic electronic structure of STO-based heterostructures, and the integrated systems can serve as a platform for studying the interplay of the 2DEG with attractive materials as well as developing practical device applications.

Thickness dependent studies of chemically grown transparent conducting Cu:ZnS thin films for optoelectronic applications

Copper-doped Zinc Sulphide (Cu:ZnS) thin films were grown on silica slides with a different number of coats varying from 1 to 4 using a low-cost chemical bath deposition technique. In order to investigate its applicability as an alternative to transparent conducting oxides (TCOs), structural, optical, and electrical characterizations were performed with varied film thickness. The thickness of the films was varied from 205 nm to 713 nm with different number coats. X-ray diffraction study revealed cubic phase with sphalerite structure for the films. The effect of thickness on structural parameters is reported. UV/VIS/NIR spectroscopy demonstrated that transmittance varies from 98% to 41% in the visible region with film thickness. The increase in film thickness led to the narrowing of band gap values. The electrical conductivity between 1.82 and 10.3 Ω-1⋅cm−1 and charge carrier density in the range of 1020 to 1022 cm−3 were observed in the obtained films. The maximum mobility was 0.185 cm2/V.s. The reported results show that the Cu:ZnS thin film has enough potential to use as transparent conducting sulphide (TCS) film for optoelectronic applications.

Synthesis, Magnetic Properties, and Electronic Structure of Magnetic Topological Insulator MnBi2Se4.

The intrinsic magnetic topological insulators MnBi2Te4 and MnBi2Se4 support novel topological states related to symmetry breaking by magnetic order. Unlike MnBi2Te4, the study of MnBi2Se4 has been inhibited by the lack of bulk crystals, as the van der Waals (vdW) crystal is not the thermodynamic equilibrium phase. Here, we report the layer-by-layer synthesis of vdW MnBi2Se4 crystals using nonequilibrium molecular beam epitaxy. Atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy identify a well-ordered vdW crystal with septuple-layer base units. The magnetic properties agree with the predicted layered antiferromagnetic ordering but disagree with its predicted out-of-plane orientation. Instead, our samples exhibit an easy-plane anisotropy, which is explained by including dipole-dipole interactions. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy reveals the gapless Dirac-like surface state, which demonstrates that MnBi2Se4 is a topological insulator above the magnetic-ordering temperature. These studies show that MnBi2Se4 is a promising candidate for exploring rich topological phases of layered antiferromagnetic topological insulators.