Dependence of the electronic structure of the EuS/InAs interface on the bonding configuration

TL;DR

This study uses density functional theory to analyze how different bonding configurations at the EuS/InAs interface influence its electronic structure, revealing localized interface states and small induced magnetic moments, with implications for topological quantum devices.

Contribution

It provides a detailed computational analysis of the EuS/InAs interface's electronic structure dependence on bonding configuration, highlighting the limited magnetic induction in the studied coherent form.

Findings

Interface states are localized at the EuS/InAs boundary.

The EuS valence band maximum is below InAs's in all configurations.

Induced magnetic moments in InAs are small.

Abstract

Recently, the EuS/InAs interface has attracted attention for the possibility of inducing magnetic exchange correlations in a strong spin-orbit semiconductor, which could be useful for topological quantum devices. We use density functional theory (DFT) with a machine-learned Hubbard $U$ correction [npj Comput. Mater. 6, 180 (2020)] to elucidate the effect of the bonding configuration at the interface on the electronic structure. For all interface configurations considered here, we find that the EuS valence band maximum (VBM) lies below the InAs VBM. In addition, dispersed states emerge at the top of the InAs VBM at the interface, which do not exist in either material separately. These states are contributed mainly by the InAs layer adjacent to the interface. They are localized at the interface and may be attributed to charge transfer from the EuS to the InAs. The interface configuration affects the position of the EuS VBM with respect to the InAs VBM, as well as the dispersion of the interface state. For all interface configurations studied here, the induced magnetic moment in the InAs is small. This suggests that this interface, in its coherent form studied here, is not promising for inducing equilibrium magnetic properties in InAs.