Atomic Layer Epitaxy of Kagome Magnet Fe${_3}$Sn${_2}$ and Sn-modulated Heterostructures

TL;DR

This paper reports the successful atomic layer epitaxy synthesis of high-quality kagome magnet Fe${_3}$Sn${_2}$ thin films, enabling detailed study of their magnetic properties and the creation of modulated heterostructures for potential spintronic applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel atomic layer molecular beam epitaxy method to produce high-quality Fe${_3}$Sn${_2}$ films and superlattices, advancing the exploration of kagome magnet physics.

Findings

High-quality Fe${_3}$Sn${_2}$ films with c-plane orientation and in-plane magnetic easy axis.

Demonstration of atomic-level modulation of heterostructures with Fe${__3}$Sn and Fe${_3}$Sn${_2}$.

Identification of in-plane magnetic domains via anomalous Nernst effect imaging.

Abstract

Magnetic materials with kagome crystal structure exhibit rich physics such as frustrated magnetism, skyrmion formation, topological flat bands, and Dirac/Weyl points. Until recently, most studies on kagome magnets have been performed on bulk crystals or polycrystalline films. Here we report the atomic layer molecular beam epitaxy synthesis of high-quality thin films of topological kagome magnet Fe${_3}$Sn${_2}$. Structural and magnetic characterization of Fe${_3}$Sn${_2}$ on epitaxial Pt(111) identifies highly ordered films with c-plane orientation and an in-plane magnetic easy axis. Studies of the local magnetic structure by anomalous Nernst effect imaging reveals in-plane oriented micrometer size domains. Superlattice structures consisting of Fe${_3}$Sn${_2}$ and Fe${_3}$Sn are also synthesized by atomic layer molecular beam epitaxy, demonstrating the ability to modulate the sample structure at the atomic level. The realization of high-quality films by atomic layer molecular beam epitaxy opens the door to explore the rich physics of this system and investigate novel spintronic phenomena by interfacing Fe${_3}$Sn${_2}$ with other materials.