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Semiconductor-compatible topological digital alloys

Recently, GeSn alloys have attracted much interest for direct-gap infrared photonics and as potential topological materials which are compatible with the semiconductor industry. However, for photonics, the high-Sn content required leads to low detectivity, associated with poor material quality, and the (>35 %) Sn required for topological properties have been out of reach experimentally. Here, we demonstrate that by patterning the Sn distribution within Ge, the electronic properties have a far greater tunability than is possible with the random alloy. For the GeSn δ-digital alloy (DA) formed by confining Sn atoms in atomic layer(s) along the [111] direction of Ge, we show that ∼ 10 % Sn can lead to a triple-point semimetal. These findings are understood in terms of Sn ordering causing spatial separation of Sn and Ge band edges, leading to band inversion. This mechanism can also lead to a weak topological insulator, Weyl semimetal, and enables tunable direct bandgaps down to 2 meV, covering the entire infrared range. This DA induced topological properties are also identified in compound semiconductors, such as InAs 1-x Sb x , showing the general applicability of the DA design for realizing topological properties on conventional semiconductor platforms. Furthermore, our findings not only point to a new class of currently unexplored topological systems accessible by epitaxy, but also establish the promise of low-Sn GeSn DAs for application as infrared laser diodes and photodetectors in Si photonic integrated circuits and infrared image sensors.

3D topological semimetal

Electronic structures and pseudogap nature of the strongly correlated Kondo semimetals and insulators CeNiSn and CeRhX(X=As, Sb)

Employing temperature (T)-dependent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) near the Ce 4d absorption edge, we have investigated the electronic structures of the strongly correlated Kondo insulators (KIs) and/or Kondo semimetals of CeNiSn and CeRhX (X=As, Sb), which also belong to potential topological KIs (TKIs). Good agreement is found between the Fermi surfaces (FSs) measured at the Ce 4d→4f on resonance and those calculated and unfolded into the Ce-only Brillouin zone, supporting the crucial Ce 4f contribution to the Fermi-edge states in them. While the FSs of CeRhSb and CeNiSn are similar to each other, they are quite different from those of CeRhAs, which is understood to originate from the semimetallic Kondo ground states of CeNiSn and CeRhSb in contrast to the insulating Kondo ground state of CeRhAs. T-dependent ARPES demonstrates the existence of the Kondo resonance above the Fermi level (EF) and its T-driven decoherence in CeNiSn and CeRhSb, and the existence of the Ce 4f Kondo-like peak well below EF with a pseudogap in CeRhAs. With increasing T, the tail of the Kondo resonance in CeNiSn and CeRhSb loses its coherence, whereas the Ce 4f Kondo-like peak in CeRhAs persists up to T≥200 K. The Kondo temperatures (TKs) are estimated via the analysis of T-dependent ARPES, yielding TK≈80 K (CeNiSn), TK≈180 K (CeRhSb), and TK≫200 K (CeRhAs). High-resolution, low-T ARPES confirms the Kondo resonance just above EF in CeNiSn and CeRhSb Kondo semimetals and the KI ground state of CeRhAs with a pseudogap of Δ≈30 meV, demonstrating the importance of the coherent Kondo states in determining their potential topological properties. The differences in the T-dependent ARPES of CeNiSn and CeRhSb suggest the weaker f-c hybridization in CeNiSn than in CeRhSb (c: conduction electron), which is likely due to the more localized Ni 3d orbitals than the delocalized Rh 4d orbitals. The differences between the T-dependent ARPES of CeNiSn/CeRhSb Kondo semimetals and those of CeRhAs Kondo insulator are likely due to the smaller volume of CeRhAs than those of CeNiSn/CeRhSb.

Kang, J-S

Three-dimensional higher-order saddle-point-induced flatbands in Co-based kagome metals

The saddle point (Van Hove singularity) exhibits a divergent density of states in two-dimensional systems, leading to fascinating phenomena such as strong correlations and unconventional superconductivity, yet it is seldom observed in three-dimensional (3D) systems. In this work we find two types of 3D higher-order saddle points (HOSPs) in emerging 3D kagome metals YbCo 6⁢ Ge 6 and MgCo 6 ⁢Ge 6 . Both HOSPs exhibit a singularity in their density of states, which is significantly enhanced compared to the ordinary saddle point. The HOSP near the Fermi energy generates a flatband extending a large area in the Brillouin zone, potentially amplifying the correlation effect and fostering electronic instabilities. Two types of HOSPs exhibit distinct robustness upon element substitution and lattice distortions in these kagome compounds. Our work paves the way for engineering exotic band structures, such as saddle points and flatbands, and exploring interesting phenomena in Co-based kagome materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE

Light-induced anomalous Hall conductivity in the massive three-dimensional Dirac semimetal Co 3 ⁢Sn 2 ⁢S 2

Weyl semimetals can emerge from Dirac semimetals when the time-reversal or spatial-inversion symmetries are broken. Recently, it has been proposed based on Floquet theory that Dirac semimetals can be converted into Weyl semimetals even by shining circularly polarized light (CPL). Here we have investigated the possibility of such a Dirac-Weyl conversion by measuring the CPL-induced anomalous Hall conductivity (AHC) in a massive 3D Dirac semimetal Co 3 ⁢Sn 2 ⁢S 2 in the paramagnetic phase using ultrafast midinfrared pump-terahertz Faraday rotation probe spectroscopy. We find that the field-strength and driving frequency dependence of the observed AHC is well accounted for by CPL-induced nonzero Berry curvature associated with the splitting of the Dirac bands as predicted by the Floquet theory. As a result, the estimated splitting of the Dirac bands reaches about 60% of the mass gap and the calculated CPL-induced AHC quantitatively reproduces the experimental observation, demonstrating a promising route toward the realization of Floquet-Weyl states from massive Dirac semimetals.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND