Tailoring the Magnetic Exchange Interaction in MnBi2Te4 Superlattices via the Intercalation of Ferromagnetic Layers

Published

January 1, 2023

Author(s)

Peng Chen, Qi Yao, Junqi Xu, Qiang Sun, Alexander Grutter, Patrick Quarterman, Purnima P. Balakrishnan, Christy J. Kinane, Andrew J. Caruana, Sean Langridge, Ang Li, Barat Achinuq, Emily Heppell, Yuchen Ji, Shanshan Liu, Baoshan Cui, Jiuming Liu, Puyang Huang, Zhongkai Liu, Guoqiang Yu, Faxian Xiu, Thorsten Hesjedal, Jin Zou, Xiaodong Han, Haijun Zhang, Yumeng Yang, Xufeng Kou

Abstract

The intrinsic magnetic topological insulator MnBi₂Te₄ (MBT) has provided a platform for the successful realization of exotic quantum phenomena. To broaden the horizons of MBT-based material systems, we intercalate ferromagnetic MnTe layers to construct the [(MBT)(MnTe)m]N superlattices by molecular beam epitaxy. The effective incorporation of ferromagnetic spacers helps mediate the antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling among MBT layers through the exchange spring effect at the MBT/MnTe hetero-interfaces. Moreover, the precise control of the MnTe thickness enables the modulation of relative strengths among the constituent magnetic orders, leading to tunable magnetoelectric responses, while the superlattice periodicity serves as an additional tuning parameter to tailor the spin configurations of the synthesized multi-layers. Our results demonstrate the advantages of superlattice engineering for optimizing the magnetic interactions in MBT-family systems, and the ferromagnet-intercalated strategy opens up new avenues in magnetic topological insulator structural design and spintronic applications.

Citation

Nature Electronics

Volume

6

Issue

1

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

DOI Link

Keywords

Topology, Magnetism, Superlattice, Reflectometry

Citation

Chen, P. , Yao, Q. , Xu, J. , Sun, Q. , Grutter, A. , Quarterman, P. , Balakrishnan, P. , Kinane, C. , Caruana, A. , Langridge, S. , Li, A. , Achinuq, B. , Heppell, E. , Ji, Y. , Liu, S. , Cui, B. , Liu, J. , Huang, P. , Liu, Z. , Yu, G. , Xiu, F. , Hesjedal, T. , Zou, J. , Han, X. , Zhang, H. , Yang, Y. and Kou, X. (2023), Tailoring the Magnetic Exchange Interaction in MnBi2Te4 Superlattices via the Intercalation of Ferromagnetic Layers, Nature Electronics, [online], https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41928-022-00880-1 (Accessed October 21, 2025)