Observation of Highly Spin‐Polarized Dangling Bond Surface States in Rare‐Earth Pnictide Tellurides
To generate and manipulate spin-polarized electronic states in solids are crucial for modern spintronics. The textbook routes employ quantum well states or Shockley/topological type surface states whose spin degeneracy is lifted by strong spin-orbit coupling and inversion symmetry breaking at the surface/interface. The resultant spin polarization is usually truncated because of the intertwining between multiple orbitals. Here a unique type of surface states is realized, namely, dangling bond surface states in a family of ternary rare-earth pnictide tellurides RePnTe (Re = La, Gd, Ce; Pn = Sb, Bi), with robust band structure and sizeable spin splitting. Spin and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements reveal high spin polarization and distinct spin-momentum locking texture, which, according to the theoretical analysis, arise from local site asymmetry and surface-purified spin-orbital texture. The work extends the so-called "hidden spin polarization" from the bulk to the surface, presenting an intriguing spin-orbital-momentum-layer locking phenomenon, which may shed lights on potential spintronic applications.
Authors
- Zhengtai Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3328-165X)
- Yichen Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3365-7178)
- Fayuan Zhang
- Heming Zha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2175-8112)
- Zhicheng Jiang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7407-1176)
- Qi Jiang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7122-3664)
- Weizhao Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2482-1906)
- Kai Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3930-8294)
- Yongqing Cai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3565-574X)
- Hongtao Rong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3763-7593)
- Qihang Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9843-2482)
- Junhao Lin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2195-2823)
- Zhanyang Hao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5194-4050)
- E. D. L. Rienks (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9192-0552)
- Yuan Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7919-421X)
- Le Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1962-3510)
- Wenjing Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7146-5014)
- Shan Qiao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3816-3414)
- Mao Ye (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5178-6950)
- Shu Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6200-4934)
- Yaobo Huang
- Liwei Deng
Institutions
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Dalian University of Technology (CN)
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (DE)
- Southern University of Science and Technology (CN)
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (CN)
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory (CN)
- Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Materials
- Published
- 2024-11-07
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202411733
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Iron-based superconductors research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.24
Funders
- Guangdong Innovative and Entrepreneurial Research Team Program
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- National Key Research and Development Program of China
- Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Program
- Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province