Epitaxial columnar growth of strain-free antiferromagnetic Weyl semimetal Mn3Sn on wurtzite c-plane GaN/Al2O3(0001)

Hall, Hannah; Timilsina, Sunil; Upadhyay, Sneha; Erickson, Tyler; D’Mello, Cherie; Ingram, David C.; Smith, Arthur R.

doi:10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2025.128426

Title: Epitaxial columnar growth of strain-free antiferromagnetic Weyl semimetal Mn₃Sn on wurtzite c-plane GaN/Al₂O₃(0001)

Journal Article · Fri Nov 21 00:00:00 UTC 2025 · Journal of Crystal Growth

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2025.128426 · OSTI ID:3008605

Hall, Hannah ^[1];

^[1];

^[1]; Erickson, Tyler ^[1]; D’Mello, Cherie ^[1];

^[1];

^[1]

Ohio Univ., Athens, OH (United States)

Weyl semimetal thin films with excellent crystalline quality are of great interest for antiferromagnetic spintronics. Mn₃Sn is one Weyl semimetal with great properties and promise for exciting science and applications. It has proven very challenging, however, to grow Mn₃Sn thin films with smooth surfaces, negligible strain, and excellent crystallinity. In this work, we discuss the successful preparation of epitaxial Mn₃Sn (0001)-oriented thin films via molecular beam epitaxial growth on c-plane wurtzite GaN which was grown by MBE on Al₂O₃ (0001). We present the reflection high energy electron diffraction analysis along with x-ray diffraction in order to demonstrate the crystalline quality of the film, and we give atomic models to explain the epitaxial orientation relationships between the crystal lattices of the substrate, GaN layer, and Mn₃Sn layer. Importantly, we discuss the film lattice parameters as compared to expected values, demonstrating negligible strain both in-plane and out-of-plane. Atomic force microscopy reveals an epitaxial columnar growth mode characterized by flat-top-mesa islands, while scanning tunneling microscopy shows the atomically smooth surfaces of the mesa-top structures. Finally, Rutherford backscattering informs the stoichiometry of the film as well as the layer thicknesses.

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Research Organization:: Ohio Univ., Athens, OH (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division (MSE)

Grant/Contract Number:: FG02-06ER46317

OSTI ID:: 3008605

Journal Information:: Journal of Crystal Growth, Journal Name: Journal of Crystal Growth Vol. 676; ISSN 0022-0248

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Title: Epitaxial columnar growth of strain-free antiferromagnetic Weyl semimetal Mn3Sn on wurtzite c-plane GaN/Al2O3(0001)

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Title: Epitaxial columnar growth of strain-free antiferromagnetic Weyl semimetal Mn₃Sn on wurtzite c-plane GaN/Al₂O₃(0001)