Topological Quantum Well States in Pb/Sb Thin-Film Heterostructures

Composite topological heterostructures, wherein topologically protected states are electronically tuned due to their proximity to other matter, are key avenues for exploring emergent physical phenomena. Particularly, pairing a topological material with a superconductor such as Pb is a promising means for generating a topological superconducting phase with exotic Majorana quasiparticles, but oft-neglected is the emergence of bulklike spin-polarized states that are quite relevant to applications. Using high-resolution photoemission spectroscopy and first-principles calculations, we report the emergence of bulk-like spin-polarized topological quantum well states with long coherence lengths in Pb films grown on the topological semimetal Sb. The results establish Pb/Sb heterostructures as topological superconductor candidates and advance the current understanding of topological coupling effects required for realizing emergent physics and for designing advanced spintronic device architectures.

Emergent and Tunable Topological Surface States in Complementary Sb/Bi2Te3 and Bi2Te3/Sb Thin-Film Heterostructures

Epitaxial thin-film heterostructures offer a versatile platform for realizing topological surface states (TSSs) that may be emergent and/or tunable by tailoring the atomic layering in the heterostructures. Here, as an experimental demonstration, Sb and Bi₂Te₃ thin films with closely matched in-plane lattice constants are chosen to form two complementary heterostructures: Sb overlayers on Bi₂Te₃ (Sb/Bi₂Te₃) and Bi₂Te₃ overlayers on Sb (Bi₂Te₃/Sb), with the overlayer thickness as a tuning parameter. In the bulk form, Sb (a semimetal) and Bi₂Te₃ (an insulator) both host TSSs with the same topological order but substantially different decay lengths and dispersions, whereas ultrathin Sb and Bi₂Te₃ films by themselves are fully gapped trivial insulators. Angle-resolved photoemission band mappings, aided by theoretical calculations, confirm the formation of emergent TSSs in both heterostructures. The energy position of the topological Dirac point varies as a function of overlayer thickness, but the variation is non-monotonic, indicating nontrivial effects in the formation of topological heterostructure systems. The results illustrate the rich physics of engineered composite topological systems that may be exploited for nanoscale spintronics applications.

Coherent Electronic Band Structure of TiTe2/TiSe2 Moiré Bilayer

A van der Waals bonded moiré bilayer formed by sequential growth of TiSe₂ and TiTe₂ monolayers exhibits emergent electronic structure as evidenced by angle-resolved photoemission band mapping. The two monolayers adopt the same lattice orientation but incommensurate lattice constants. Despite the lack of translational symmetry, sharp dispersive bands are observed. The dispersion relations appear distinct from those for the component monolayers alone. Theoretical calculations illustrate the formation of composite bands by coherent electronic coupling despite the weak interlayer bonding, which leads to band renormalization and energy shifts.

Charge Instability in Single-Layer TiTe_{2} Mediated by van der Waals Bonding to Substrates

Single layers of transition metal dichalcogenides are of interest for emergent properties; an often-neglected issue is substrate effects. Our experiments show that the charge density wave in a single-layer TiTe_{2} grown on PtTe_{2} films is strongly suppressed by increasing the PtTe_{2} substrate thickness. Given that the interfacial bonding remains of the weak incommensurate van der Waals type, the observed changes are correlated with a thickness-dependent metallicity transformation in the PtTe_{2} substrate. The results illustrate the crucial role of the substrate in single-layer physics.

Massive Suppression of Proximity Pairing in Topological (Bi_{1-x}Sb_{x})_{2}Te_{3} Films on Niobium

Interfacing bulk conducting topological Bi_{2}Se_{3} films with s-wave superconductors initiates strong superconducting order in the nontrivial surface states. However, bulk insulating topological (Bi_{1-x}Sb_{x})_{2}Te_{3} films on bulk Nb instead exhibit a giant attenuation of surface superconductivity, even for films only two layers thick. This massive suppression of proximity pairing is evidenced by ultrahigh-resolution band mappings and by contrasting quantified superconducting gaps with those of heavily n-doped topological Bi_{2}Se_{3}/Nb. The results underscore the limitations of using superconducting proximity effects to realize topological superconductivity in nearly intrinsic systems.

Dimensionality-Mediated Semimetal-Semiconductor Transition in Ultrathin PtTe_{2} Films

Platinum ditelluride (PtTe_{2}), a type-II Dirac semimetal, remains semimetallic in ultrathin films down to just two triatomic layers (TLs) with a negative gap of -0.36  eV. Further reduction of the film thickness to a single TL induces a Lifshitz electronic transition to a semiconductor with a large positive gap of +0.79  eV. This transition is evidenced by experimental band structure mapping of films prepared by layer-resolved molecular beam epitaxy, and by comparing the data to first-principles calculations using a hybrid functional. The results demonstrate a novel electronic transition at the two-dimensional limit through film thickness control.

In Situ Strain Tuning of the Dirac Surface States in Bi2Se3 Films

Elastic strain has the potential for a controlled manipulation of the band gap and spin-polarized Dirac states of topological materials, which can lead to pseudomagnetic field effects, helical flat bands, and topological phase transitions. However, practical realization of these exotic phenomena is challenging and yet to be achieved. Here we show that the Dirac surface states of the topological insulator Bi₂Se₃ can be reversibly tuned by an externally applied elastic strain. Performing in situ X-ray diffraction and in situ angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements during tensile testing of epitaxial Bi₂Se₃ films bonded onto a flexible substrate, we demonstrate elastic strains of up to 2.1% and quantify the resulting changes in the topological surface state. Our study establishes the functional relationship between the lattice and electronic structures of Bi₂Se₃ and, more generally, demonstrates a new route toward momentum-resolved mapping of strain-induced band structure changes.