We have investigated spin-electricity conversion on surface states of bulk-insulating topological insulator (TI) materials using a spin pumping technique. The sample structure is Ni-Fe|Cu|TI trilayers, in which magnetic proximity effects on the TI surfaces are negligibly small owing to the inserted Cu layer. Voltage signals produced by the spin-electricity conversion are clearly observed, and enhanced with decreasing temperature in line with the dominated surface transport at lower temperatures. The efficiency of the spin-electricity conversion is greater for TI samples with higher resistivity of bulk states and longer mean free path of surface states, consistent with the surface spin-electricity conversion.
Searching for performant multiferroic materials attracts general research interests in energy science as they have been increasingly exploited as the conversion media among thermal, electric, magnetic and mechanical energies by using their temperature-dependent ferroic properties. Here we report a material development strategy that guides us to discover a reversible phase-transforming ferroelectric material exhibiting enduring energy harvesting from small temperature differences. The material satisfies the crystallographic compatibility condition between polar and nonpolar phases, which shows …
The spin-momentum locking at the Dirac surface state of a topological insulator (TI) offers a distinct possibility of a highly efficient charge-to-spin current (C-S) conversion compared with spin Hall effects in conventional paramagnetic metals. For the development of TI-based spin current devices, it is essential to evaluate its conversion efficiency quantitatively as a function of the Fermi level EF position. Here we exemplify a coefficient of qICS to characterize the interface C-S conversion effect by using spin torque ferromagnetic resonance (ST-FMR) for (Bi1-xSbx)2Te3 thin films whose EF …
Pyroelectric energy converter is a functional capacitor using pyroelectric material as the dielectric layer. Utilizing the first-order phase transformation of the material, the pyroelectric device can generate adequate electricity within small temperature fluctuations. However, most pyroelectric capacitors are leaking during energy conversion. In this paper, we analyze the thermodynamics of pyroelectric energy conversion with consideration of the electric leakage. Our thermodynamic model is verified by experiments using three phase-transforming ferroelectric materials with different pyroelectr…
The helicity of 3D topological insulator surface states has drawn significant attention in spintronics owing to spin-momentum locking where the carriers' spin is oriented perpendicular to their momentum. This property can provide an efficient method to convert charge currents into spin currents, and vice-versa, through the Rashba-Edelstein effect. However, experimental signatures of these surface states to the spin-charge conversion are extremely difficult to disentangle from bulk state contributions. Here, we combine spin- and angle-resolved photo-emission spectroscopy, and time-resolved THz …
We report the observation of efficient charge-to-spin conversion in the three-dimensional topological insulator (TI) Bi2Se3 and Ag bilayer by the spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance technique. The spin orbit torque ratio in the Bi2Se3/Ag/CoFeB heterostructure shows a significant enhancement as the Ag thickness increases to ~2 nm and reaches a value of 0.5 for 5 nm Ag, which is ~3 times higher than that of Bi2Se3/CoFeB at room temperature. The observation reveals the interfacial effect of Bi2Se3/Ag exceeds that of the topological surface states (TSS) in the Bi2Se3 layer and plays a dominant rol…
Detection and manipulation of electrons' spins are key prerequisites for spin-based electronics or spintronics. This is usually achieved by contacting ferromagnets with metals or semiconductors, in which the relaxation of spins due to spin-orbit coupling limits both the efficiency and the length scale. In topological insulator materials, on the contrary, the spin-orbit coupling is so strong that the spin direction uniquely determines the current direction, which allows us to conceive a whole new scheme for spin detection and manipulation. Nevertheless, even the most basic process, the spin inj…
Infrared (IR) transmittance tunable metal-insulator conversion was demonstrated on glass substrate by using thermochromic vanadium dioxide (VO2) as the active layer in three-terminal thin-film-transistor-type device with water-infiltrated glass as the gate insulator. Alternative positive/negative gate-voltage applications induce the reversible protonation/deprotonation of VO2 channel, and two-orders of magnitude modulation of sheet-resistance and 49% modulation of IR-transmittance were simultaneously demonstrated at room temperature by the metal-insulator phase conversion of VO2 in a non-volat…
Strong spin-orbit coupling, resulting in the formation of spin-momentum-locked surface states, endows topological insulators with superior spin-to-charge conversion characteristics, though the dynamics that govern it have remained elusive. Here, we present an all-optical method that enables unprecedented tracking of the ultrafast dynamics of spin-to-charge conversion in a prototypical topological insulator Bi$_2$Se$_3$/ferromagnetic Co heterostructure, down to the sub-picosecond timescale. Compared to pure Bi$_2$Se$_3$ or Co, we observe a giant terahertz emission in the heterostructure than or…
Topological spintronics aims to exploit the spin-momentum locking in the helical surface states of topological insulators for spin-orbit torque devices. We address a fundamental question that still remains unresolved in this context: does the topological surface state alone produce the largest values of spin-charge conversion efficiency or can the strongly spin-orbit coupled bulk states also contribute significantly? By studying the Fermi level dependence of spin pumping in topological insulator/ferrimagnetic insulator bilayers, we show that the spin Hall conductivity is constant when the Ferm…
We report the spin to charge current conversation in an intrinsic topological insulator (TI) $(Bi_{0.22}Sb_{0.78})_2Te_3$ film at room temperature. The spin currents are generated in a thin layer of permalloy (Py) by two different processes, spin pumping (SPE) and spin Seebeck effects (SSE). In the first we use microwave-driven ferromagnetic resonance of the Py film to generate a SPE spin current that is injected into the TI $(Bi_{0.22}Sb_{0.78})_2Te_3$ layer in direct contact with Py. In the second we use the SSE in the longitudinal configuration in Py without contamination by the Nernst effe…
Spin injection using ferromagnetic semiconductors at room temperature is a building block for the realization of spin-functional semiconductor devices. Nevertheless, this has been very challenging due to the lack of reliable room-temperature ferromagnetism in well-known group IV and III-V based semiconductors. Here, we demonstrate room-temperature spin injection by using spin pumping in a (Ga,Fe)Sb / BiSb heterostructure, where (Ga,Fe)Sb is a ferromagnetic semiconductor (FMS) with high Curie temperature (TC) and BiSb is a topological insulator (TI). Despite the very small magnetization of (Ga,…
Spin-charge interconversion phenomena at the interface between magnetic materials and topological insulators (TIs) are attracting enormous interest in the research effort towards the development of fast and ultra-low power devices for the future information and communication technology. We report a large spin-to-charge conversion efficiency in Au/Co/Au/Sb2Te3/Si(111) heterostructures based on Sb2Te3 TIs grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition on 4 inches Si(111) substrates. By conducting room temperature spin pumping ferromagnetic resonance, we measure an inverse Edelstein Effect leng…
In this paper, we report on the investigation of (1) the transport properties of multi-carriers in semi-metal Bi and (2) the spin conversion physics in this semimetal system in a ferrimagnetic insulator, yttrium-iron-garnet. Hall measurements reveal that electrons and holes co-exist in the Bi, with electrons being the dominant carrier. The results of a spin conversion experiment corroborate the results of the Hall measurement; in addition, the inverse spin Hall effect governs the spin conversion in the semimetal/insulator system. This study provides further insights into spin conversion physic…
The topochemical transformation of single crystals of Sr$_3$Ir$_2$O$_7$ into Sr$_3$Ir$_2$O$_7$F$_2$ is reported via fluorine insertion. Characterization of the newly formed Sr$_3$Ir$_2$O$_7$F$_2$ phase shows a nearly complete oxidation of Ir$^{4+}$ cations into Ir$^{5+}$ that in turn drives the system from an antiferromagnetic Mott insulator with a half-filled J$_{eff}=1/2$ band into a nonmagnetic $J=0$ band insulator. First principles calculations reveal a remarkably flat insertion energy that locally drives the fluorination process to completion. Band structure calculations support the forma…
Spintronics aims to utilize the spin degree of freedom for information storage and computing applications. One major issue is the generation and detection of spins via spin and charge conversion. Quantum materials have recently exhibited many unique spin-dependent properties, which can be used as promising material candidates for efficient spin and charge conversion. Here, we review recent findings concerning spin and charge conversion in quantum materials, including Rashba interfaces, topological insulators, two-dimensional materials, superconductors, and non-collinear antiferromagnets. Impor…
Spin-to-charge conversion (SCC) involving topological surface states (TSS) is one of the most promising routes for highly efficient spintronic devices for terahertz (THz) emission. Here, the THz generation generally occurs mainly via SCC consisting in efficient dynamical spin injection into spin-locked TSS. In this work, we demonstrate sizable THz emission from a nanometric thick topological insultator (TI)/ferromagnetic junction - SnBi$_2$Te$_4$/Co - specifically designed to avoid bulk band crossing with the TSS at the Fermi level, unlike its parent material Bi$_2$Te$_3$. THz emission time do…
Topological insulators (TIs) hold great promises for new spin-related phenomena and applications thanks to the spin texture of their surface states. However, a versatile platform allowing for the exploitation of these assets is still lacking due to the difficult integration of these materials with the mainstream Si-based technology. Here, we exploit germanium as a substrate for the growth of Bi$_2$Se$_3$, a prototypical TI. We probe the spin properties of the Bi$_2$Se$_3$/Ge pristine interface by investigating the spin-to-charge conversion taking place in the interface states by means of a non…
We investigate a spin-electricity conversion effect in a topological insulator/ferromagnet heterostructure. In the spin-momentum-locked surface state, an electric current generates nonequilibrium spin accumulation, which causes a spin-orbit torque that acts on the ferromagnet. When spins in the ferromagnet are completely parallel to the accumulated spin, this spin-orbit torque is zero. In the presence of spin excitations, however, a coupling between magnons and electrons enables us to obtain a nonvanishing torque. In this paper, we consider a model of the heterostructure in which a three-dimen…
Thermoelectric response of a ferroelectric insulator
National Institute for Materials Science（物质材料研究机构）；Okayama University（冈山大学）；Institute of Science Tokyo（东京科学大学）；Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.（村田制作所）；Tohoku University（东北大学）；The University of Tokyo（东京大学）
While some of the most elegant applications of topological insulators, such as quantum anomalous Hall effect, require the preservation of Dirac surface states in the presence of time-reversal symmetry breaking, other phenomena such as spin-charge conversion rather rely on the ability for these surface states to imprint their spin texture on adjacent magnetic layers. In this work, we investigate the spin-momentum locking of the surface states of a wide range of monolayer transition metals (3$d$-TM) deposited on top of Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$ topological insulators using first principles calculations. …
Electric field controlled spin transport in a topological insulator interfaced with a ferroelectric antiferromagnet
Materials Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory（劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室材料科学部）；Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校材料科学与工程系）；Rice Advanced Materials Institute, Rice University（莱斯大学莱斯先进材料研究所）；Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University（康奈尔大学材料科学与工程系）；Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校物理系）；Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University（康奈尔大学卡弗里纳米科学研究所）；Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung（莱布尼兹晶体生长研究所）
Unique electronic spin textures in topological states of matter are promising for emerging spin-orbit driven memory and logic technologies. However, there are several challenges related to the enhancement of their performance, electrical gate-tunability, interference from trivial bulk states, and heterostructure interfaces. We address these challenges by integrating two-dimensional graphene with a three-dimensional topological insulator (TI) in van der Waals heterostructures to take advantage of their remarkable spintronic properties and engineer proximity-induced spin-charge conversion phenom…
The small spin-orbit interaction of carbon atoms in graphene promises a long spin diffusion length and potential to create a spin field-effect transistor. However, for this reason, graphene was largely overlooked as a possible spin-charge conversion material. We report electric gate tuning of the spin-charge conversion voltage signal in a single-layer graphene. Using spin pumping from yttrium iron garnet ferrimagnetic insulator and ionic liquid top gate we determined that the inverse spin Hall effect is the dominant spin-charge conversion mechanism in a single-layer graphene. From the gate dep…
A dramatic reduction in man-made CO2 emissions could be achieved if the cost of electricity generated from concentrated solar power (CSP) plants could become competitive with fossil-fuel-derived electricity. The solar heat-to-electricity conversion efficiency of CSP plants may be significantly increased (and the associated electricity cost decreased) by operating CSP turbines with inlet temperatures >750 C instead of <550 C, and by using thermal energy storage (TES) at >750 C to allow for rapidly dispatchable and/or continuous electricity production. Unfortunately, earth-abundant MgCl2-KCl-bas…
A topological insulator is a new state of matter, possessing gapless spin-locking surface states across the bulk band gap which has created new opportunities from novel electronics to energy conversion. However, the large concentration of bulk residual carriers has been a major challenge for revealing the property of the topological surface state via electron transport measurement. Here we report surface state dominated transport in Sb-doped Bi2Se3 nanoribbons with very low bulk electron concentrations. In the nanoribbons with sub-10nm thickness protected by a ZnO layer, we demonstrate complet…
As a methodology for controlling the carrier transport of topological insulators (TI's), a flexible tuning in carrier number on the surface states (SS's) of three dimensional TI's by surface modifications using organic molecules is described. The principle of the carrier tuning and its type conversion of TI's presented in this research are based on the charge transfer of holes or electrons at the TI/organic molecule interface. By employing 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4-TCNQ) as an electron acceptor or tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) as a donor for n- and p- Bi2-xSbxT…
Two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) formed at the interface between SrTiO3 (STO) and LaAlO3 (LAO) insulating layer is supposed to possess strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling. To date, the inverse Edelstein effect (i.e. spin-to-charge conversion) in the 2DEG layer is reported. However, the direct effect of charge-to-spin conversion, an essential ingredient for spintronic devices in a current induced spin-orbit torque scheme, has not been demonstrated yet. Here we show, for the first time, a highly efficient spin generation with the efficiency of ~6.3 in the STO/LAO/CoFeB structure at room tempera…
The Dirac surface states of topological insulators offer a unique possibility for creating spin polarized charge currents due to the spin-momentum locking. Here we demonstrate that the control over the bulk and surface contribution is crucial to maximize the charge-to-spin conversion efficiency. We observe an enhancement of the spin signal due to surface-dominated spin polarization while freezing out the bulk conductivity in semiconducting Bi1.5Sb0.5Te1.7Se1.3 below 100K. Detailed measurements up to room temperature exhibit a strong reduction of the magnetoresistance signal between 2 and 100K,…
Thermoelectric performance is of interest for numerous applications such as waste heat recovery and solid state energy conversion, and will be seen to be closely connected to topological insulator behavior. In this context we here report first principles transport and defect calculations for Bi$_{2}$Te$_{2}$Se in relation to Bi$_{2}$Te$_{3}$. The two compounds are found to contain remarkably different electronic structures in spite of being isostructural and isoelectronic. We discuss these results in terms of the topological insulator characteristics of these compounds.
Topological insulators (TIs) with spin momentum locked topological surface states (TSS) are expected to exhibit a giant spin-orbit torque (SOT) in the TI/ferromagnet systems. To date, the TI SOT driven magnetization switching is solely reported in a Cr doped TI at 1.9 K. Here, we directly show giant SOT driven magnetization switching in a Bi2Se3/NiFe heterostructure at room temperature captured using a magneto-optic Kerr effect microscope. We identify a large charge to spin conversion efficiency of ~1-1.75 in the thin TI films, where the TSS is dominant. In addition, we find the current densit…
Thermoelectric (TE) devices have been attracting increasing attention because of their ability to convert heat directly to electricity. To date, improving the TE figure of merit remains the key challenge. The advent of the topological insulator and the emerging nanotechnology open a new way to design high-performance TE devices. In this paper, we investigate the TE transport properties of the Bi2Se3 thin film by the first-principle calculations and the Boltzmann transport theory. By comparing our calculations with the earlier experimental data, we demonstrate that, for the Bi2Se3 film of thick…
We present a defect-engineering strategy to optimize the transport properties of the topological insulator Bi2Se3 to show a high bulk resistivity and clear quantum oscillations. Starting with a p-type Bi2Se3 obtained by combining Cd doping and a Se-rich crystal-growth condition, we were able to observe a p-to-n-type conversion upon gradually increasing the Se vacancies by post annealing. With the optimal annealing condition where a high level of compensation is achieved, the resistivity exceeds 0.5 Ohmcm at 1.8 K and we observed two-dimensional Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations composed of multip…
We report the frequency dependence of the spin current emission in a hybrid ferrimagnetic insulator/normal metal system as function of the insulating layer thickness. The system is based on a yttrium iron garnet (YIG) film [0.2, 1, and 3 μm] grown by liquid-phase-epitaxy coupled with a spin current detector of platinum [6 nm]. A strong YIG thickness dependence of the efficiency of the spin pumping has been observed. The highest conversion factor ΔV/P_{abs} has been demonstrated for the thinner YIG (1.79 and 0.55 mV/mW^{-1} at 2.5 and 10 GHz, respectively) which presents an interest for the rea…
The bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE) leads to directed photo-currents and photo-voltages in bulk materials. Unlike photo-voltages in p-n junction solar cells that are limited by carrier recombination to values below the bandgap energy of the absorbing material, the BPVE photo-voltages have been shown to greatly exceed the bandgap energy. Therefore the BPVE is not subject to the Shockley-Queisser limit for sunlight to electricity conversion in single junction solar cells and experimental claims of efficiencies beyond this limit have been made. Here, we show that BPVE energy conversion efficienci…
Magnons are the energy quanta of fundamental spin excitations, namely spin waves, and they can make a considerable contribution to energy transport in some magnetic materials in a similar manner as lattice vibration waves or phonons. The coupling and possible non-equilibrium between magnons and other energy carriers have been used to explain several recently discovered thermally driven spin transport and energy conversion phenomena. Here, we report experiments in which local non-equilibrium between magnons and phonons in a single crystalline bulk magnetic insulator, Y3Fe5O12 (yttrium iron garn…
Gate-induced modulation of the spin-orbit interaction (SOI) in a 1.5 nm-thick Pd thin film grown on a ferrimagnetic insulator was investigated. Efficient charge accumulation by ionic gating enables a substantial upshift in the Fermi level of the Pd film, which was corroborated by suppression of the resistivity in the Pd. Electromotive forces arising from the inverse spin Hall effect in Pd under spin pumping were substantially modulated by the gating, in consequence of the modulation of the spin Hall conductivity of Pd as in an ultrathin Pt film. The same experiment using a thin Cu film, for wh…
