Experimental observation of pseudogap in a modulation-doped Mott insulator:Sn/Si(111)-(√3×√3)R30°

Unusual quantum phenomena usually emerge upon doping Mott insulators.Using a molecular beam epitaxy system integrated with cryogenic sc√annin√g tunneling microscope,we investigate the electronic structure of a modulation-doped Mott insulator Sn/Si(111)-(√3×√3)R30°.In underdoped regions,we observe a universal pseudogap opening around the Fermi level,which changes little with the applied magnetic field and the occurrence of Sn vacancies.The pseudogap gets smeared out at elevated temperatures and alters in size with the spatial confinement of the Mott insulating phase.Our findings,along with the previously observed superconductivity at a higher doping level,are highly reminiscent of the electronic phase diagram in the doped copper oxide compounds.

Ambipolar Doping of Monolayer FeSe by Interface Engineering

We report on ambipolar modulation doping of monolayer FeSe epitaxial films grown by molecular beam epitaxy and in situ spectroscopic measurements via a cryogenic scanning tunneling microscopy.It is found that hole doping kills superconductivity in monolayer FeSe films on metallic Ir(001)substrates,whereas electron doping from polycrystalline IrO_(2)/SrTiO_(3)substrate enhances significantly the superconductivity with an energy gap of 10.3 meV.By exploring substrate-dependent superconductivity,we elucidate the essential impact of substrate work functions on the superconductivity of monolayer FeSe films.Our results therefore offer a valuable reference guide for further enhancement of the transition temperature Tc in FeSe-based superconductors by interface engineering.

Honeycomb Lattice in Metal-Rich Chalcogenide Fe_(2)Te

Two-dimensional honeycomb crystals have inspired intense research interest for their novel properties and great potential in electronics and optoelectronics. Here, through molecular beam epitaxy on SrTiO_3(001), we report successful epitaxial growth of metal-rich chalcogenide Fe_(2)Te, a honeycomb-structured film that has no direct bulk analogue, under Te-limited growth conditions. The structural morphology and electronic properties of Fe_(2)Te are explored with scanning tunneling microscopy and angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy, which reveal electronic bands cross the Fermi level and nearly flat bands. Moreover, we find a weak interfacial interaction between Fe_(2)Te and the underlying substrates, paving a newly developed alternative avenue for honeycomb-based electronic devices.

Observation of Tunneling Gap in Epitaxial Ultrathin Films of Pyrite-Type Copper Disulfide

We report scanning tunneling microscopy investigation on epitaxial ultrathin films of pyrite-type copper disulfide.Layer-by-layer growth of CuS_(2)films with a preferential orientation of(111)on SrTiO_(3)(001)and Bi_(2)Sr_(2)Ca Cu_(2)O_(8+)substrates is achieved by molecular beam epitaxy growth.For ultrathin films on both kinds of substrates,we observe symmetric tunneling gap around the Fermi level that persists up to^15 K.The tunneling gap degrades with either increasing temperature or increasing thickness,suggesting new matter states at the extreme twodimensional limit.

Nodeless pairing in superconducting copper-oxide monolayer films on BieSreCaCueO8＋δ

The pairing mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates remains the biggest unresolved mystery in condensed matter physics. To solve the problem, one of the most effective approaches is to investigate directly the superconducting CuO2 layers. Here, by growing CuO2 monolayer films on Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8＋δ substrates, we identify two distinct and spatially separated energy gaps centered at the Fermi energy, a smaller U-like gap and a larger V-like gap on the films, and study their interactions with alien atoms by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. The newly discovered U-like gap exhibits strong phase coherence and is immune to scattering by K, Cs and Ag atoms, suggesting its nature as a nodeless superconducting gap in the CuO2 layers, whereas the V-like gap agrees with the well-known pseudogap state in the underdoped regime. Our results support an s-wave superconductivity in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8＋δ, which, we pro- pose, originates from the modulation-doping resultant twodimensional hole liquid confined in the CuO2 layers.

Experimental signature of topological superconductivity and Majorana zero modes on β-Bi2Pd thin films

The search for Majorana fermions in topological superconductors is one of paramount research targets in physics today. Using a cryogenic scanning tunneling microscopy, we here report the signature of topologically nontrivial superconductivity on a single material of β-Bi_2Pd films grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The superconducting gap associated with spinless odd-parity pairing opens on the surface and appears much larger than the bulk one due to the Dirac-fermion enhanced parity mixing of surface pair potential. Zero bias conductance peaks, probably from Majorana zero modes supported by such superconducting states, are identified at magnetic vortices. The superconductivity exhibits resistance to nonmagnetic defects, characteristic of time-reversal-invariant topological superconductors. Our study reveals β-Bi_2Pd as a prime platform to generate, manipulate and braid Majorana zero modes for quantum computation.

Interface enhanced superconductivity in monolayer FeSe films on MgO(001):charge transfer with atomic substitution

Interface enhanced superconductivity over 50 K has been discovered in monolayer Fe Se films grown on several TiO_2-terminated oxide substrates.Whether such phenomenon exists in other oxide substrates remains an extremely interesting topic.Here we report enhanced superconductivity with an onset transition temperature of 18 K in monolayer Fe Se on Mg O(001) substrate by transport measurement.Scanning transmission electron microscopy investigation on the interface structure indicates that Fe Se films grow epitaxially on Mg O(001) and that overlayer Fe atoms diffuse into the top two layers of Mg O and substitute Mg atoms.Our density functional theory calculations reveal that this substitution promotes the charge transfer from the Mg O substrate to the Fe Se films,an essential process that also occurs in monolayer Fe Se on TiO_2-terminated oxides and contributes to the enhanced superconductivity therein.Our finding suggests that superconductivity enhancement in monolayer Fe Se films on oxides substrates is rather general as long as charge transfer is allowed at the interface,thus pointing out an explicit direction for searching for new high temperature superconductivity by interface engineering.