Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 26, 2026
09:00
Experimental Methods for Spin- and Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy Combined with Polarization-Variable Laser
Published on: June 28, 2018
10.5K
Interfacial reactions at Fe/topological insulator spin contacts
Sarmita Majumder1, Karalee Jarvis1, Sanjay K Banerjee1
1Microelectronics Research Center, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78758.
Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. B, Nanotechnology & Microelectronics : Materials, Processing, Measurement, & Phenomena : JVST B
|July 18, 2017
Summary
Iron (Fe) deposition on topological insulators (TIs) like Bi2Se3 forms an abrupt FeSe binary phase. Adding silicon oxide (SiOx) prevents alloy formation on Bi2Te3, crucial for spintronics applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Topological insulators (TIs) are promising materials for spintronics.
- Understanding interfacial properties is crucial for device fabrication.
- Ferromagnetic metal deposition on TIs can lead to interfacial reactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the composition and abruptness of interfacial layers formed by Fe deposition on TIs.
- Characterize the interfacial phases and their structural properties.
- Explore methods to control interfacial reactions for spintronic applications.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
- Interfacial elemental mapping using TEM.
- Deposition of Fe on Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3, and SiO2/Bi2Te3.
Main Results:
- Fe reacts with Bi2Se3 near room temperature, forming a 5 nm thick, single-crystalline FeSe0.92 phase.
- The FeSe0.92 phase is predominantly (001) oriented with a lattice fringe spacing of 0.55 nm.
- Fe/Bi2Te3 forms a polycrystalline interfacial alloy, which is suppressed by an intervening SiO2 layer.
Conclusions:
- Fe deposition on Bi2Se3 results in a well-defined, abrupt interfacial binary phase.
- An SiO2 interlayer effectively prevents interfacial alloy formation between Fe and Bi2Te3.
- These findings offer control over interfacial properties for spintronic device development.
More Related Videos
09:06Visualizing Uniaxial-strain Manipulation of Antiferromagnetic Domains in Fe1+YTe Using a Spin-polarized Scanning Tunneling Microscope
Published on: March 24, 2019
8.7K
08:12Ohmic Contact Fabrication Using a Focused-ion Beam Technique and Electrical Characterization for Layer Semiconductor Nanostructures
Published on: December 5, 2015
12.8K
Related Concept Videos
02:42Valence Bond Theory
11.4K
Coordination compounds and complexes exhibit different colors, geometries, and magnetic behavior, depending on the metal atom/ion and ligands from which they are composed. In an attempt to explain the bonding and structure of coordination complexes, Linus Pauling proposed the valence bond theory, or VBT, using the concepts of hybridization and the overlapping of the atomic orbitals. According to VBT, the central metal atom or ion (Lewis acid) hybridizes to provide empty orbitals of suitable...
11.4K
01:06Interfacial Electrochemical Methods: Overview
985
Interfacial electrochemical methods focus on the phenomena occurring at the boundary between an electrode and a solution, as opposed to bulk methods that concentrate on the solution's overall properties. These interfacial methods are classified as either static or dynamic based on the presence of a nonzero current in the electrochemical cell and the consistency of analyte concentrations. Static methods, such as potentiometry, measure the cell's potential without any significant current...
985
01:24Metal-Semiconductor Junctions
1.2K
The contact of metal and semiconductor can lead to the formation of a junction with either Schottky or Ohmic behavior.
Schottky Barriers
Schottky barriers arise when a metal with a work function (Φm) contacts a semiconductor with a different work function (Φs). Initially, electrons transfer until the Fermi levels of the metal and semiconductor align at equilibrium. For instance, if Φm > Φs, the semiconductor Fermi level is higher than the metal's before contact. The...
Schottky Barriers
Schottky barriers arise when a metal with a work function (Φm) contacts a semiconductor with a different work function (Φs). Initially, electrons transfer until the Fermi levels of the metal and semiconductor align at equilibrium. For instance, if Φm > Φs, the semiconductor Fermi level is higher than the metal's before contact. The...
1.2K
01:18Fermi Level
2.0K
The Fermi-Dirac function is represented by an S-shaped curve indicating the probability of an energy state being occupied by an electron at a given temperature. The Fermi level is the energy level at which there is a fifty percent chance of finding an electron, and it is positioned between the lower-energy valence band and the higher-energy conduction band.
At absolute zero temperature, electrons fill all energy states up to the Fermi level, leaving upper states empty. As the temperature rises,...
At absolute zero temperature, electrons fill all energy states up to the Fermi level, leaving upper states empty. As the temperature rises,...
2.0K
01:17Spin–Spin Coupling: One-Bond Coupling
1.5K
Coupling interactions are strongest between NMR-active nuclei bonded to each other, where spin information can be transmitted directly through the pair of bonding electrons. While nuclei polarize their electrons to the opposite spins, the bonding electron pair has opposite spins. Configurations with antiparallel nuclear spins are expected to be lower in energy. When coupling makes antiparallel states more favorable, J is considered to have a positive value. The one-bond coupling constant, 1J,...
1.5K
01:12Fermi Level Dynamics
841
The vacuum level denotes the energy threshold required for an electron to escape from a material surface. It is usually positioned above the conduction band of a semiconductor and acts as a benchmark for comparing electron energies within various materials.
Electron affinity in semiconductors refers to the energy gap between the minimum of its conduction band and the vacuum level and it is a critical parameter in determining how easily a semiconductor can accept additional electrons.
The work...
Electron affinity in semiconductors refers to the energy gap between the minimum of its conduction band and the vacuum level and it is a critical parameter in determining how easily a semiconductor can accept additional electrons.
The work...
841