TY  - JOUR
AU  - Wei, Xiankui
AU  - Jalil, Abdur Rehman
AU  - Rüssmann, Philipp
AU  - Ando, Yoichi
AU  - Grützmacher, Detlev
AU  - Blügel, Stefan
AU  - Mayer, Joachim
TI  - Atomic Diffusion-Induced Polarization and Superconductivity in Topological Insulator-Based Heterostructures
JO  - ACS nano
VL  - 18
IS  - 1
SN  - 1936-0851
CY  - Washington, DC
PB  - Soc.
M1  - FZJ-2024-00084
SP  - 571-580
PY  - 2024
AB  - The proximity effect at a highly transparent interface of an s-wave superconductor (S) and a topological insulator (TI) provides a promising platform to create Majorana zero modes in artificially designed heterostructures. However, structural and chemical issues pertinent to such interfaces have been poorly explored so far. Here, we report the discovery of Pd diffusion-induced polarization at interfaces between superconductive Pd1+x(Bi0.4Te0.6)2 (xPBT, 0 ≤ x ≤ 1) and Pd-intercalated Bi2Te3 by using atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. Our quantitative image analysis reveals that nanoscale lattice strain and QL polarity synergistically suppress and promote Pd diffusion at the normal and parallel interfaces, formed between Te–Pd–Bi triple layers (TLs) and Te–Bi–Te–Bi–Te quintuple layers (QLs), respectively. Further, our first-principles calculations unveil that the superconductivity of the xPBT phase and topological nature of the Pd-intercalated Bi2Te3 phase are robust against the broken inversion symmetry. These findings point out the necessity of considering the coexistence of electric polarization with superconductivity and topology in such S–TI systems.
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
C6  - 38126781
UR  - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:001139622600001
DO  - DOI:10.1021/acsnano.3c08601
UR  - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/1020351
ER  -