Tailoring Exchange Couplings in Magnetic Topological Insulator/Antiferromagnet Heterostructures

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how to engineer exchange couplings in heterostructures of magnetic topological insulators and antiferromagnets, enabling control over magnetic and topological surface states for potential spintronic applications.

Contribution

It introduces a method to tailor exchange interactions in heterostructures of magnetic topological insulators and antiferromagnets through structural design.

Findings

Interfacial magnetic phenomena can be engineered via heterostructure design

Antiferromagnetic exchange coupling manipulates topological surface states

Framework established for integrating topological insulators with antiferromagnetic materials

Abstract

Magnetic topological insulators such as Cr-doped (Bi,Sb)2Te3 provide a platform for the realization of versatile time-reversal symmetry-breaking physics. By constructing heterostructures with N\'eel order in an antiferromagnetic CrSb and magnetic topological order in Cr-doped (Bi,Sb)2Te3, we realize emergent interfacial magnetic phenomena which can be tailored through artificial structural engineering. Through deliberate geometrical design of heterostructures and superlattices, we demonstrate the use of antiferromagnetic exchange coupling in manipulating the magnetic properties of the topological surface massive Dirac fermions. This work provides a new framework on integrating topological insulators with antiferromagnetic materials and unveils new avenues towards dissipationless topological antiferromagnetic spintronics.