Synthesis of crystallographically well-defined thin films of topological materials is important for unraveling their mesoscale quantum properties and for device applications. Mn$_3$Ge, an antiferromagnetic Weyl semimetal with a chiral magnetic structure on a Kagome lattice, is expected to have enhanced Berry curvature around Weyl nodes near the Fermi energy, leading to large anomalous Hall / Nernst effects and a large spin-Hall effect. Using magnetron sputtering, we have grown epitaxial thin films of hexagonal D0$_{19}$ Mn$_3$Ge that are flat and continuous. Large anomalous Nernst and inverse spin-Hall effects are observed in thermoelectric and spin-pumping devices. The anomalous Nernst signal in our Mn$_3$Ge films is estimated to be 0.1 $μ$V / K, and is comparable to that in ferromagnetic Fe, despite Mn$_3$Ge having a weak magnetization of ~3.5 m$μ_B$ at room temperature. The spin mixing conductance is 90.5 nm$^{-2}$ at the Py / Mn$_3$Ge interface, and the spin-Hall angle in Mn$_3$Ge is estimated to be about 8 times of that in Pt.
The discovery of magnetic topological semimetals recently attracted significant attention in the field of topology and thermoelectrics. In a thermoelectric device based on the Nernst geometry, an external magnet is required as an integral part. We report a zero-field Nernst effect in a newly discovered hard-ferromagnetic kagome-lattice Weyl-semimetal Co3Sn2S2. A maximum Nernst thermopower of 3 microvolt/K at 80 K in zero field is achieved in this magnetic Weyl-semimetal. Our results demonstrate the possibility of application of topological hard magnetic semimetals for low-power thermoelectric …
Magnetic materials with kagome crystal structure exhibit rich physics such as frustrated magnetism, skyrmion formation, topological flat bands, and Dirac/Weyl points. Until recently, most studies on kagome magnets have been performed on bulk crystals or polycrystalline films. Here we report the synthesis of high-quality epitaxial films of topological kagome magnet Fe$_3$Sn$_2$ by atomic layer molecular beam epitaxy. Structural and magnetic characterization of Fe$_3$Sn$_2$ on epitaxial Pt(111) identifies highly ordered films with c-plane orientation and an in-plane magnetic easy axis. Studies o…
Quantum materials, particularly Dirac materials with linearly dispersing bands, can be effectively tuned by strain-induced lattice distortions leading to a pseudo-magnetic field that strongly modulates their electronic properties. Here, we grow kagome magnet FeSn films, consisting of alternatingly stacked Sn$_2$ honeycomb (stanene) and Fe$_3$Sn kagome layers, on SrTiO$_3$(111) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. Using scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy, we show that the Sn honeycomb layer can be periodically deformed by epitaxial strain for film thickness below 10 nm, resulting in di…
Kagome metal TbMn6Sn6 was recently discovered to be a ferrimagnetic topological Dirac material by scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy measurements. Here, we report the observation of large anomalous Nernst effect and anomalous thermal Hall effect in this compound. The anomalous transverse transport is consistent with the Berry curvature contribution from the massive Dirac gaps in the 3D momentum space as demonstrated by our first-principles calculations. Furthermore, the transverse thermoelectric transport exhibits asymmetry with respect to the applied magnetic field, i.e., an exchange-…
Enhanced anomalous Nernst effect in Pr-doped kagome and honeycomb magnet LaCo$_5$
School of Physics, Zhejiang University（浙江大学物理学院）；School of Physics and Optical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology（浙江工业大学物理与光电工程学院）；State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, Zhejiang University（浙江大学硅及先进半导体材料国家重点实验室）；Hefei National Laboratory（合肥国家实验室）；Wuhan National High Magnetic Field Center, Huazhong University of Science & Technology（华中科技大学武汉国家高磁场科学中心）
Analogous to the Hall effect, the Nernst effect is the generation of a transverse voltage due to a temperature gradient in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field. The Nernst effect has promise for thermoelectric applications and as a probe of electronic structure. In magnetic materials, a so-called anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) is possible in zero magnetic field. Here we report a colossal ANE reaching 23 $μ$V/K in the ferromagnetic metal UCo$_{0.8}$Ru$_{0.2}$Al. Uranium's $5f$ electrons provide strong electronic correlations that lead to narrow bands, which are a known route to produci…
The topological kagome magnet (TKM) Fe3Sn2 exhibits unusual topological properties, flat electronic bands, and chiral spin textures, making it an exquisite materials platform to explore the interplay between topological band structure, strong electron correlations, and magnetism. Here we report the first synthesis of high-quality epitaxial (0001) Fe3Sn2 films with large intrinsic anomalous Hall effect close to that measured in bulk single crystals. In addition, we measured a large, anisotropic anomalous Nernst coefficient Syx of 1.26 μV/K, roughly 2-5x greater than that of common ferromagnets,…
Since the discovery of graphene, intensive efforts have been made in search of novel two-dimensional (2D) materials. Decreasing the materials dimensionality to their ultimate thinness is a promising route to unveil new physical phenomena, and potentially improve the performance of devices. Among recent 2D materials, analogs of graphene, the group IV elements have attracted much attention for their unexpected and tunable physical properties. Depending on the growth conditions and substrates, several structures of silicene, germanene, and stanene can be formed. Here, we report the synthesis of a…
The kagome metal compounds $A$V$_3$Sb$_5$ ($A$ = K, Rb, and Cs) feature a wealth of phenomena including nontrivial band topology, charge density wave (CDW), and superconductivity. One intriguing property is the time-reversal symmetry breaking in the CDW state without local moments, which leads to anomalous transport responses. Here, we report the investigation of magneto-thermoelectric effects on high-quality CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ single crystals. A large anomalous Nernst effect is observed at temperatures below 30 K. Multiple Fermi surfaces with small effective masses are revealed by quantum oscillat…
We report the planar and anomalous Nernst effect in epitaxial thin films of spin polarized La2/3Sr1/3MnO3. The thermal counterpart of the anomalous Hall effect in this material (i.e. the anomalous Nernst effect) shows a extreme sensitivity to any parasitic thermal gradient, resulting in large asymmetric voltages under small temperature differences. This should be considered when interpreting the magnitude of the electrical response in nanostructures and devices that operate under high current densities. Finally, none of the observed magneto-thermoelectric signals is compatible with the observa…
Antiferromagnets with tunable phase transitions are promising for future spintronics applications. We investigated spin-dependent transport properties of FeRh thin films, which show a temperature driven antiferromagnetic-to-ferromagnetic phase transition. Epitaxial FeRh films grown on MgO (001) substrates exhibit a clear magnetic and electronic phase transition. By performing anomalous Hall and anomalous Nernst effect measurements over a wide range of temperatures, we demonstrate that the thermally driven transition shows distinctly different transverse transport on both side of the phase tran…
Large longitudinal and anomalous transverse Magneto-thermoelectric effect in kagome antiferromagnet FeGe
Hangzhou Normal University（杭州师范大学）；Shanghai University（上海大学）；Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory（松山湖材料实验室）；Zhejiang University（浙江大学）；Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院）；Northeastern University（东北大学）
Ge atoms segregating on zirconium diboride thin films grown on Ge(111) were found to crystallize into a two-dimensional bitriangular structure which was recently predicted to be a flat band material. Angle-resolved photoemission experiments together with theoretical calculations verified the existence of a nearly flat band in spite of non-negligible in-plane long-range hopping and interactions with the substrate. This provides the first experimental evidence that a flat band can emerge from the electronic coupling between atoms and not from the geometry of the atomic structure.
The anomalous Nernst effect of thin bilayers comprising a thin normal metal film and a ferromagnetic Mn$_5$Ge$_3$C$_{0.8}$ film has been investigated. Epitaxial c-axis grown Mn$_5$Ge$_3$C$_{0.8}$ films have been obtained by e-beam evaporation as well as by magnetron sputtering on Ge(111) substrates. The size of the anomalous Nernst coefficient is independent of the growth method. Pt, Ta, and Pt/Cu bilayers have been used as voltage leads on top of the ferromagnetic film. We show that the interface between the normal metal electrode and the ferromagnetic film contributes significantly to the an…
Mn$_3$Sn is a non-collinear antiferromagnetic quantum material that exhibits a magnetic Weyl semimetallic state and has great potential for efficient memory devices. High-quality epitaxial $c$-plane Mn$_3$Sn thin films have been grown on a sapphire substrate using a Ru seed layer. Using spin pumping induced inverse spin Hall effect measurements on $c$-plane epitaxial Mn$_3$Sn/Ni$_{80}$Fe$_{20}$, we measure spin-diffusion length ($λ_{\rm Mn_3Sn}$), and spin Hall conductivity ($σ_{\rm{SH}}$) of Mn$_3$Sn thin films: $λ_{\rm Mn_3Sn}=0.42\pm 0.04$ nm and $σ_{\rm{SH}}=-702~\hbar/ e~Ω^{-1}$cm$^{-1}$.…
We report the first experimental observation of the spin Seebeck effect in magnetite thin films. The signal observed at temperatures above the Verwey transition is a contribution from both the anomalous Nernst (ANE) and spin Seebeck effects (SSE). The contribution from the ANE of the Fe3O4 layer to the SSE is found to be negligible due to the resistivity difference between Fe3O4 and Pt layers. Below the Verwey transition the SSE is free from the ANE of the ferromagnetic layer and it is also found to dominate over the ANE due to magnetic proximity effect on the Pt layer.
We report an enhancement of the anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) in Ni/Pt (001) epitaxial superlattices. The transport and magneto-thermoelectric properties were investigated for the Ni/Pt superlattices with various Ni layer thicknesses (${\it t}$). The anomalous Nernst coefficient was increased up to more than 1 $μ$V K$^{-1}$ for 2.0 nm ${\leq}$ ${\it t}$ ${\leq}$ 4.0 nm, which was the remarkable enhancement compared to the bulk Ni. It has been found that the large transverse Peltier coefficient ($α$$_{xy}$), reaching $α$$_{xy}$ = 4.8 A K$^{-1}$ m$^{-1}$ for ${\it t}$ = 4.0 nm, plays a prime rol…
The negative sign of the anomalous Nernst thermopower ($S_\text{ANE}$) observed in Mn-Ga ordered alloys is an attractive property for thermoelectric applications exploiting the anomalous Nernst effect (ANE); however, its origin has not been clarified. In this study, to gain insight into the negative $S_\text{ANE}$, we prepared epitaxial thin films of Mn$_{x}$Ga$_{100-x}$ with $x$ ranging from 56.2 to 71.7, and systematically investigated the structural, magnetic, and transport properties including the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) and the ANE. The measured $S_\text{ANE}$ is negative for all samp…
FeSn is a room-temperature antiferromagnet expected to host Dirac fermions in its electronic structure. The interplay of magnetic degree of freedom and the Dirac fermions makes FeSn an attractive platform for spintronics and electronic devices. While stabilization of thin film FeSn is needed for the development of such devices, there exist no previous report of epitaxial growth of single crystalline FeSn. Here we report the realization of epitaxial thin films of FeSn (001) grown by molecular beam epitaxy on single crystal SrTiO$_{3}$ (111) substrates. By combining X-ray diffraction, electrical…
FeSn is a topological semimetal (TSM) and kagome antiferromagnet (AFM) composed of alternating Fe3Sn kagome planes and honeycomb Sn planes. This unique structure gives rise to exotic features in the band structures such as the coexistence of Dirac cones and flatbands near the Fermi level, fully spin-polarized 2D surface Dirac fermions, and the ability to open a large gap in the Dirac cone by reorienting the Néel vector. In this work, we report the synthesis of high quality epitaxial (0001) FeSn films by magnetron sputtering. Using FeSn/Py heterostructures, we show a large exchange bias effect …
Magnetic materials with kagome crystal structure exhibit rich physics such as frustrated magnetism, skyrmion formation, topological flat bands, and Dirac/Weyl points. Until recently, most studies on kagome magnets have been performed on bulk crystals or polycrystalline films. Here we report the atomic layer molecular beam epitaxy synthesis of high-quality thin films of topological kagome magnet Fe${_3}$Sn${_2}$. Structural and magnetic characterization of Fe${_3}$Sn${_2}$ on epitaxial Pt(111) identifies highly ordered films with c-plane orientation and an in-plane magnetic easy axis. Studies o…
During the past two decades, it has been established that a non-trivial electron wave-function topology generates an anomalous Hall effect (AHE), which shows itself as a Hall conductivity non-linear in magnetic field. Here, we report on an unprecedented case of field-linear AHE. In Mn$_3$Sn, a kagome magnet, the out-of-plane Hall response, which shows an abrupt jump, was discovered to be a case of AHE. We find now that the in-plane Hall response, which is perfectly linear in magnetic field, is set by the Berry curvature of the wavefunction. The amplitude of the Hall response and its concomitan…
Non-collinear antiferromagnet Weyl semimetal $Mn_3Sn$ have attracted great research interest recently. Although large anomalous Hall effect, anomalous Nernst effect and magneto-optical effect have been observed in $Mn_3Sn$, most studies are based on single crystals. So far, it is still challenging to grow high quality epitaxial $Mn_3Sn$ thin films with transport and optical properties comparable to their single crystal counterparts. Here, we report the structure, magneto-optical and transport properties of epitaxial $Mn_3Sn$ thin films fabricated by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Highly orient…
Based on first-principles calculations, we investigated the topological transport properties of Mn$_3$GaN with coplanar noncollinear magnetic structures. The intrinsic anomalous Hall conductivity (IAHC) displays a significant dependence with respect to the in-plane magnetization direction between the $Γ_{5g}$ and $Γ_{4g}$ magnetic configurations, where large anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) can be induced by tailoring the magnetization direction. Moreover, we observed strong piezospintronic effect in Mn$_3$GaN, where large IAHC can be induced by moderate epitaxial strain. Symmetry analysis reveal…
Fabrication and characterization of single-crystalline CoSn (10-10) kagome metal thin films for interconnect applications: structure and anisotropic electrical resistivity
AB$_2$O$_4$ normal spinels with a magnetic B site can host a variety of magnetic and orbital frustrations leading to spin-liquid phases and field-induced phase transitions. Here we report the first epitaxial growth of (111)-oriented MgCr$_2$O$_4$ thin films. By characterizing the structural and electronic properties of films grown along (001) and (111) directions, the influence of growth orientation has been studied. Despite distinctly different growth modes observed during deposition, the comprehensive characterization reveals no measurable disorder in the cation distribution nor multivalency…
