Min Kai Lee

The exploration initiated by the discovery of the topological insulator (Bi_xSb_1−x)₂Te₃ has extended to unlock the potential of quantum anomalous Hall effects (QAHEs), marking a revolutionary era for topological quantum devices, low-power electronics, and spintronic applications. In this study, we present the epitaxial growth of Cr-doped (Bi_0.4Sb_0.6)₂Te₃ (Cr:BST) thin films via molecular beam epitaxy, incorporating various Cr doping concentrations with varying Cr/Sb ratios (0.025, 0.05, 0.075, and 0.1). High-quality crystalline of the Cr:BST thin films deposited on a c-plane sapphire substrate has been rigorously confirmed through reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analyses. The existence of a Cr dopant has been identified with a reduction in the lattice parameter of BST from 30.53 ± 0.05 to 30.06 ± 0.04 Å confirmed by X-ray diffraction, and the valence state of Cr verified by X-ray photoemission (XPS) at binding energies of ~573.1 and ~583.5 eV. Additionally, the influence of Cr doping on lattice vibration was qualitatively examined by Raman spectroscopy, revealing a blue shift in peaks with increased Cr concentration. Surface characteristics, crucial for the functionality of topological insulators, were explored via Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), illustrating a sevenfold reduction in surface roughness as the Cr concentration increased from 0 to 0.1. The ferromagnetic properties of Cr:BST were examined by a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) with a magnetic field applied in out-of-plane and in-plane directions. The Cr:BST samples exhibited a Curie temperature (T_c) above 50 K, accompanied by increased magnetization and coercivity with increasing Cr doping levels. The introduction of the Cr dopant induces a transition from n-type ((Bi_0.4Sb_0.6)₂Te₃) to p-type (Cr:(Bi_0.4Sb_0.6)₂Te₃) carriers, demonstrating a remarkable suppression of carrier density up to one order of magnitude, concurrently enhancing carrier mobility up to a factor of 5. This pivotal outcome is poised to significantly influence the development of QAHE studies and spintronic applications.

Here, we present a study of superconductivity in the Ga-Ag alloy embedded into porous template with pore diameter of 10 nm. The composition was close to the eutectic point in the gallium-rich range. We measured DC and AC magnetizations for temperatures from 1.8 to 10 K and magnetic fields up to 6 T. Three superconducting transitions were found at temperatures 7.05, 6.08, and 2.65 K in contrast to the bulk counterpart. Upper critical field lines were obtained. Activation barriers were evaluated from the AC data. The temperatures of the superconducting transitions were ascribed to emergence of β- and iota-Ga and of an intermetallic different from bulk Ag₃Ga₂. Keywords: nanostructured Ga-Ag eutectic alloy, superconducting transitions, segregated phases, DC and AC susceptibility.

The intrinsic magnetic topological insulator MnBi₂Te₄ has attracted much attention due to its special magnetic and topological properties. To date, most reports have focused on bulk or flake samples. For material integration and device applications, the epitaxial growth of MnBi₂Te₄ film in nanoscale is more important but challenging. Here, we report the growth of self-regulated MnBi₂Te₄ films by the molecular beam epitaxy. By tuning the substrate temperature to the optimal temperature for the growth surface, the stoichiometry of MnBi₂Te₄ becomes sensitive to the Mn/Bi flux ratio. Excessive and deficient Mn resulted in the formation of a MnTe and Bi₂Te₃ phase, respectively. The magnetic measurement of the 7 SL MnBi₂Te₄ film probed by the superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) shows that the antiferromagnetic order occurring at the Néel temperature 22 K is accompanied by an anomalous magnetic hysteresis loop along the c-axis. The band structure measured by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) at 80 K reveals a Dirac-like surface state, which indicates that MnBi₂Te₄ has topological insulator properties in the paramagnetic phase. Our work demonstrates the key growth parameters for the design and optimization of the synthesis of nanoscale MnBi₂Te₄ films, which are of great significance for fundamental research and device applications involving antiferromagnetic topological insulators.

In this study, we investigate metallic nanocomposites to elucidate the properties of nanostructured conventional superconductors. Liquid tin, indium, and mercury are loaded into opal matrices by high pressure up to 10 kbar. The opal templates preserve the 3D dendritic morphology of confined superconducting metals to model a dendritic second phase with particular grain shape in bulk superconductors observed by a DualBeam microscope. We carry out measurements of the dc and ac magnetizations to study the superconducting phase diagrams, vortex dynamics, and impact of grain morphology in the opal composites. Besides, we apply the small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) to deny a regular vortex structure. The phase diagrams reveal an enhanced upper critical field H_c2(0) and curvature crossover in the upper critical field line. We also calculate the vortex activation barriers U_a and observe a transformation in the vortex system. According to the field dependence of U_a, the vortex structure transformation highly correlates with the curvature crossover in the upper critical field line. Our observations suggest that the similarity in the normalized phase diagrams and field dependences of U_a in the three nanocomposites is owing to their particular morphology of confinement.

Ac magnetization measurements were carried out for a gallium nanocomposite consisted of a metal loaded porous glass with 3.5 nm pore size to study dynamics in the vortex system and H-T diagrams. Variations of ac magnetization with temperature and bias magnetic field were obtained at different frequencies and amplitudes of ac field. Double peaks in the imaginary part of ac susceptibility associated with doubly structured real parts with distinct dependences on the amplitude of ac field were observed. Activation barriers were evaluated from variations with frequency of the upper-temperature peak in χ″ at different bias fields. The field dependence of the activation barrier followed the power law with exponents equal to 0.12 and 1.0 below and above 20 kOe, respectively. A pronounced positive curvature was observed at low magnetic fields for the H_c2(T) line with the crossover to a common negative curvature near 20 kOe, also. Both the change of the exponent in the power law for activation barriers and the crossover to the negative curvature in the upper critical field line were suggested to occur due to transition in the vortex system from the geometry restricted to space between gallium particles into more homogeneous distribution with increasing field.