Fabrication and characterization of the gapless half-Heusler YPtSb thin films

TL;DR

This paper reports the successful fabrication of high-quality gapless YPtSb thin films with semiconducting behavior and high Hall mobility, indicating potential topological surface states.

Contribution

It introduces a novel fabrication method for gapless YPtSb thin films and characterizes their structural, electrical, and magnetic properties.

Findings

High-quality YPtSb thin films confirmed by XRD and EDX

Semiconducting resistivity behavior observed at low temperatures

High Hall mobility of 450 cm2/Vs at 300K, exceeding bulk values

Abstract

Half-Heusler YPtSb thin films were fabricated by magnetron co-sputtering method on MgO-buffered SiO2/Si(001) substrates. X-ray diffraction pattern and Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy confirmed the high-quality growth and stoichiometry. The temperature dependence of the resistivity shows a semiconducting-type behavior down to low temperature. The Hall mobility was determined to be 450 cm2/Vs at 300K, which is much higher than the bulk value (300 cm2/Vs). In-plane magnetoresistance (MR) measurements with fields applied along and perpendicular to the current direction show opposite MR signs, which suggests the possible existence of the topological surface states.