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Ming F, Mulugeta D, Tu W, Smith TS, Vilmercati P, Lee G, Huang YT, Diehl RD, Snijders PC, Weitering HH. Hidden phase in a two-dimensional Sn layer stabilized by modulation hole doping. Nat Commun 2017; 8:14721. [PMID: 28266499 PMCID: PMC5343494 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2016] [Accepted: 01/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Semiconductor surfaces and ultrathin interfaces exhibit an interesting variety of two-dimensional quantum matter phases, such as charge density waves, spin density waves and superconducting condensates. Yet, the electronic properties of these broken symmetry phases are extremely difficult to control due to the inherent difficulty of doping a strictly two-dimensional material without introducing chemical disorder. Here we successfully exploit a modulation doping scheme to uncover, in conjunction with a scanning tunnelling microscope tip-assist, a hidden equilibrium phase in a hole-doped bilayer of Sn on Si(111). This new phase is intrinsically phase separated into insulating domains with polar and nonpolar symmetries. Its formation involves a spontaneous symmetry breaking process that appears to be electronically driven, notwithstanding the lack of metallicity in this system. This modulation doping approach allows access to novel phases of matter, promising new avenues for exploring competing quantum matter phases on a silicon platform. Broken symmetry phases may occur in 2D materials upon doping, yet introducing doping without inducing chemical disorder remains a challenge. Here, the authors use a modulation doping approach that unveils a hidden equilibrium phase involving spontaneous symmetry breaking in a hole-doped Sn bilayer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangfei Ming
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
| | - Daniel Mulugeta
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
| | - Weisong Tu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
| | - Tyler S Smith
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
| | - Paolo Vilmercati
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.,Joint Institute for Advanced Materials at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
| | - Geunseop Lee
- Department of Physics, Inha University, Inchon 402-751, Korea
| | - Ying-Tzu Huang
- Department of Physics, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Renee D Diehl
- Department of Physics, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Paul C Snijders
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.,Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
| | - Hanno H Weitering
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.,Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
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Evans MM, Glueckstein JC, Nogami J. Epitaxial growth of manganese on silicon: Volmer-Weber growth on the Si(111) surface. PHYSICAL REVIEW. B, CONDENSED MATTER 1996; 53:4000-4004. [PMID: 9983954 DOI: 10.1103/physrevb.53.4000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
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Shen T, Wang C, Lyding JW, Tucker JR. STM study of surface reconstructions of Si(111):B. PHYSICAL REVIEW. B, CONDENSED MATTER 1994; 50:7453-7460. [PMID: 9974725 DOI: 10.1103/physrevb.50.7453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
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Rowe MW, Liu H, Williams GP, Williams RT. Picosecond photoelectron spectroscopy of excited states at Si(111) sqrt 3 x sqrt 3 R30 degrees-B, Si(111)7 x 7, Si(100)2 x 1, and laser-annealed Si(111)1 x 1 surfaces. PHYSICAL REVIEW. B, CONDENSED MATTER 1993; 47:2048-2064. [PMID: 10006244 DOI: 10.1103/physrevb.47.2048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
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