Eric Yue Ma

Unexpected edge conduction in mercury telluride quantum wells under broken time-reversal symmetry.

The realization of quantum spin Hall effect in HgTe quantum wells is considered a milestone in the discovery of topological insulators. Quantum spin Hall states are predicted to allow current flow at the edges of an insulating bulk, as demonstrated in various experiments. A key prediction yet to be experimentally verified is the breakdown of the edge conduction under broken time-reversal symmetry. Here we first establish a systematic framework for the magnetic field dependence of electrostatically gated quantum spin Hall devices. We then study edge conduction of an inverted quantum well device under broken time-reversal symmetry using microwave impedance microscopy, and compare our findings to a non-inverted device. At zero magnetic field, only the inverted device shows clear edge conduction in its local conductivity profile, consistent with theory. Surprisingly, the edge conduction persists up to 9 T with little change. This indicates physics beyond simple quantum spin Hall model, including material-specific properties and possibly many-body effects.

Charge-order domain walls with enhanced conductivity in a layered manganite

Interfaces and boundaries in condensed-matter systems often have electronic properties distinct from the bulk material and thus have become a topic of both fundamental scientific interest and technological importance. Here we identify, using microwave impedance microscopy, enhanced conductivity of charge-order domain walls in the layered manganite Pr(Sr0.1Ca0.9)2Mn2O7. We obtain a complete mesoscopic map of surface topography, crystalline orientation and electronic phase, and visualize the thermal phase transition between two charge-ordered phases. In both phases, charge-order domains occur with domain walls showing enhanced conductivity likely due to local lifting of the charge order. Finite element analysis shows that the resolved domain walls can be as narrow as few nanometres. The domain walls are stabilized by structural twins and have a strong history dependence, suggesting that they may be manipulated to create novel devices.

Direct Imaging of Dynamic Glassy Behavior in a Strained Manganite Film.

Complex many-body interaction in perovskite manganites gives rise to a strong competition between ferromagnetic metallic and charge-ordered phases with nanoscale electronic inhomogeneity and glassy behaviors. Investigating this glassy state requires high-resolution imaging techniques with sufficient sensitivity and stability. Here, we present the results of a near-field microwave microscope imaging on the strain-driven glassy state in a manganite film. The high contrast between the two electrically distinct phases allows direct visualization of the phase separation. The low-temperature microscopic configurations differ upon cooling with different thermal histories. At sufficiently high temperatures, we observe switching between the two phases in either direction. The dynamic switching, however, stops below the glass transition temperature. Compared with the magnetization data, the phase separation was microscopically frozen, while spin relaxation was found in a short period of time.

Quantitative Theory for Probe-Sample Interaction With Inhomogeneous Perturbation in Near-Field Scanning Microwave Microscopy

A general approach for calculating tip-sample capacitance variation in near-field scanning microwave microscopy is presented. It can be applied to arbitrary tip shapes, thick and thin films, and variation due to inhomogeneous perturbation. The computation domain for the tip-sample interaction problem is reduced to a block perturbation area by applying Greens theorem, and thus it can save substantial time and memory during calculating either electric field or contrast capacitance for three-dimensional models of near-field microwave microscopy. We show that this method can accurately calculate capacitance variation due to inhomogeneous perturbation in insulating or conductive samples, as verified by finite-element analysis results of commercial software and experimental data from microwave impedance microscopy. More importantly, the method in this paper also provides a rigorous framework to solve the inverse problem, which has great potential to improve resolution by deconvolution.

Ubiquitous strong electron-phonon coupling at the interface of FeSe/SrTiO3

The observation of replica bands in single-unit-cell FeSe on SrTiO3 (STO)(001) by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) has led to the conjecture that the coupling between FeSe electrons and the STO phonons are responsible for the enhancement of Tc over other FeSe-based superconductors. However the recent observation of a similar superconducting gap in single-unit-cell FeSe/STO(110) raised the question of whether a similar mechanism applies. Here we report the ARPES study of the electronic structure of FeSe/STO(110). Similar to the results in FeSe/STO(001), clear replica bands are observed. We also present a comparative study of STO(001) and STO(110) bare surfaces, and observe similar replica bands separated by approximately the same energy, indicating this coupling is a generic feature of the STO surfaces and interfaces. Our findings suggest that the large superconducting gaps observed in FeSe films grown on different STO surface terminations are likely enhanced by a common mechanism.

Quartz tuning fork based microwave impedance microscopy

Microwave impedance microscopy (MIM), a near-field microwave scanning probe technique, has become a powerful tool to characterize local electrical responses in solid state samples. We present the design of a new type of MIM sensor based on quartz tuning fork and electrochemically etched thin metal wires. Due to a higher aspect ratio tip and integration with tuning fork, such design achieves comparable MIM performance and enables easy self-sensing topography feedback in situations where the conventional optical feedback mechanism is not available, thus is complementary to microfabricated shielded stripline-type probes. The new design also enables stable differential mode MIM detection and multiple-frequency MIM measurements with a single sensor.

Unconventional Correlation between Quantum Hall Transport Quantization and Bulk State Filling in Gated Graphene Devices

We report simultaneous transport and scanning microwave impedance microscopy to examine the correlation between transport quantization and filling of the bulk Landau levels in the quantum Hall regime in gated graphene devices. Surprisingly, a comparison of these measurements reveals that quantized transport typically occurs below the complete filling of bulk Landau levels, when the bulk is still conductive. This result points to a revised understanding of transport quantization when carriers are accumulated by gating. We discuss the implications on transport study of the quantum Hall effect in graphene and related topological states in other two-dimensional electron systems.

Shielded piezoresistive cantilever probes for nanoscale topography and electrical imaging

This paper presents the design and fabrication of piezoresistive cantilever probes for microwave impedance microscopy (MIM) to enable simultaneous topographic and electrical imaging. Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposited Si3N4 cantilevers with a shielded center conductor line and nanoscale conductive tip apex are batch fabricated on silicon-on-insulator wafers. Doped silicon piezoresistors are integrated at the root of the cantilevers to sense their deformation. The piezoresistive sensitivity is 2 nm for a bandwidth of 10 kHz, enabling topographical imaging with reasonable speed. The aluminum center conductor has a low resistance (less than 5 Ω) and small capacitance (~1.7 pF) to ground; these parameters are critical for high sensitivity MIM imaging. High quality piezoresistive topography and MIM images are simultaneously obtained with the fabricated probes at ambient and cryogenic temperatures. These new piezoresistive probes remarkably broaden the horizon of MIM for scientific applications by operating with an integrated feedback mechanism at low temperature and for photosensitive samples.

Efficient generation of neutral and charged biexcitons in encapsulated WSe2 monolayers

Higher-order correlated excitonic states arise from the mutual interactions of excitons, which generally requires a significant exciton density and therefore high excitation levels. Here, we report the emergence of two biexcitons species, one neutral and one charged, in monolayer tungsten diselenide under moderate continuous-wave excitation. The efficient formation of biexcitons is facilitated by the long lifetime of the dark exciton state associated with a spin-forbidden transition, as well as improved sample quality from encapsulation between hexagonal boron nitride layers. From studies of the polarization and magnetic field dependence of the neutral biexciton, we conclude that this species is composed of a bright and a dark excitons residing in opposite valleys in momentum space. Our observations demonstrate that the distinctive features associated with biexciton states can be accessed at low light intensities and excitation densities.High-order correlated states in atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides may be facilitated by long-lived optically dark excitons. Here, the authors report experimentally the emergence of neutral and charged biexciton species at low light intensities in encapsulated WSe2 monolayers.

Measurement of surface acoustic wave resonances in ferroelectric domains by microwave microscopy

Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) resonances were imaged within a closed domain in the ferroelectric LiTaO