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In this study, high-quality thin films of the topological semimetal phase NiTe$_2$ were prepared using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) technique, confirmed through X-ray diffraction with pronounced Laue oscillations. Electrical transport experiments reveal that thick films have properties similar to bulk materials. By employing co-deposition, we introduced either magnetic or non-magnetic elements during the growth of thinner films, significantly altering their electrical properties. Notably, magnetic element Cr induces long-range ferromagnetic ordering, leading to the observation of significant anomalous Hall effect in NiTe2 thin films. The Hall conductivity remains nearly constant well below the Curie temperature, indicating the correlation with the intrinsic topological nature of the band structure. Theoretical first principles band calculations support the generation of the Weyl semimetal state in the material through magnetic doping. These findings pave the way for exploring more magnetic Weyl semimetal materials and related low-dimensional quantum devices based on topological semimetal materials., Comment: 14 panges, 4 figures

The magnetic nature of the Kitaev candidate material $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ has been widely studied but its charge properties are less known. In the present work, we systematically investigate the scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) on few-layer $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ in proximity to graphite. While a single-layer $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ has a large Mott gap of order 2 eV in spite of charge transferring to the heterointerface from graphite, surface of 2-monolayers (MLs) and 3-MLs samples have a reduced charge gap of order of 200 meV. Furthermore, clear signals of lattice and charge incommensurate super-modulations are observed in 2-MLs $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ with negative sample biases outside the charge gap. The dI/dV spectra indicates that 2-MLs and 3-MLs $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ are turned from Mott insulator into charge transfer insulator, while the charge super-modulation suggests the existence of charge density wave induced by incommensurate dipole order., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures

Creating heterostructures with graphene/graphite is a practical method for charge-doping $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$, but not sufficient to cause the insulator-to-metal transition. In this study, detailed scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy measurements on $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ with various lattice deformations reveal that both in-plane and out-of-plane lattice distortions may collapse the Mott-gap in the case of monolayer $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ in proximity to graphite, but have little impact on its bulk form alone. In the Mott-Hubbard framework, the transition is attributed to the lattice distortion-facilitated substantial modulation of the electron correlation parameter. Observation of the orbital textures on a highly compressed monolayer $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ flake on graphite provides valuable evidence that electrons are efficiently transferred from the heterointerface into Cl3$p$ orbitals under the lattice distortion. It is believed that the splitting of Ru $t_{2g}$ bands within the trigonal distortion of Ru-Cl-Ru octahedra bonds generated the electrons transfer pathways. The increase of the Cl3$p$ states enhance the hopping integral in the Mott-Hubbard bands, resulting in the Mott-transition. These findings suggest a new route for implementing the insulator-to-metal transition upon doping in $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ by deforming the lattice in addition to the formation of heterostructure., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, Accepted for publication in Physical Review B

We conduct comparative research on the density of states of electron- and hole- carrier trap levels (DTR(E)), dispersing inside the energy gap of a rubrene single crystal in a field effect transistor (FET) struction with Ca and Au hetero-electrodes for an ambipolar carrier injection mode, by using polymeric protection-layer materials on a Si substrate. Three different types of polymeric materials, poly(methyl-methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(styrene) (PS) and poly(chloro-styrene) (PCS) are employed. From the temperature (T)-dependent source-drain current and gate voltage (ISD-VG) transfer characteristics, the values of DTR(E) are evaluated. PS exhibits the most efficiently-balanced ambipolar carrier transport, which is superior to PMMA that is most typically used as the standard protection layer on a SiO$_2$/doped-Si substrate. Discussions are made in the framework of a carrier multiple trap and release (CMTR) model., Comment: 9 pages, 5figures

In the fundamental understanding of magnetic interactions between atoms in solids, the crystal lattice is one of the key parameters. As the effective tool for controlling the lattice using tensile stress is limited, there are only few demonstrations of the control in magnetic properties with expanding the lattice structure. Here, we observe that the Curie temperature (Tc) of quasi two-dimensional Cr2Ge2Te6 with NiO overlayer doubles from ~60 K to ~120 K, describe a clear correlation of magnetic properties with lattice expansion, which is characterized by several probes and computational approaches, and address on the mechanisms leading to the increase in Tc via the change in exchange interactions.

The search of novel topological phases, such as the quantum anomalous Hall insulator (QAHI) or the axion insulator, has motivated different schemes to introduce magnetism into topological insulators. One scheme is to introduce ferromagnetic dopants in topological insulators. However, it is generally challenging and requires carefully engineered growth/heterostructures or relatively low temperatures to observe the QAHI due to issues such as the added disorder with ferromagnetic dopants. Another promising scheme is using the magnetic proximity effect with a magnetic insulator to magnetize the topological insulator. Most of these heterostructures are synthesized so far by growth techniques such as molecular beam epitaxy and metallic organic chemical vapor deposition. These are not readily applicable to allow mixing and matching many of the available ferromagnetic and topological insulators due to difference in growth conditions and lattice mismatch. Here, we demonstrate that the magnetic proximity effect can still be obtained in stacked heterostructures assembled via the dry transfer of exfoliated micrometer-sized thin flakes of van der Waals topological insulator and magnetic insulator materials (BiSbTeSe2/Cr2Ge2Te6), as evidenced in the observation of an anomalous Hall effect (AHE). Furthermore, devices made from these heterostructures can allow modulation of the AHE when controlling the carrier density via electrostatic gating. These results show that simple mechanical transfer of magnetic van der Waals materials provides another possible avenue to magnetize topological insulators by magnetic proximity effect, a key step towards further realization of novel topological phases such as QAHI and axion insulators., Comment: 22 pages, 10 figures

The layered Mott insulator ${\alpha}$-RuCl${_3}$ has been extensively studied as a potential Kitaev quantum spin liquid candidate. Here, by constructing heterostructures with graphite, we employed electron tunneling measurements on few-layer ${\alpha}$-RuCl${_3}$ using a scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy. Characteristic tunneling spectra were detected on ${\alpha}$-RuCl${_3}$ layers in proximity to graphite. In the single-layer ${\alpha}$-RuCl${_3}$ in direct contact with graphite, distinct states in the Mott-gap regime were observed. The in-gap states are demonstrated to be closely related to the electron orbitals in ${\alpha}$-RuCl${_3}$ and graphite, and to be sensitive to interfacial coupling, where a hybridization at the heterointerface is hypothesized. The in-gap states are also thought of as a charge reservoir for weakly doping the ${\alpha}$-RuCl${_3}$ upper-layers. It demonstrated that the weak doping effect causes a considerable decrease in the Mott-gap within the upper-layers, suggesting that an unconventional Mott-transition is occurring in these layers. The results show that the heterostructure comprised of ${\alpha}$-RuCl${_3}$ and graphite is a good platform for investigating the doping physics in ${\alpha}$-RuCl${_3}$. Therefore, tunneling into such a doped system is a useful probe for studying otherwise insulating spin-liquid candidates., Comment: Original data are available upon resonable request from corresponding author

We report a metal-insulator transition (MIT) in the half-filled multiorbital antiferromagnet (AF) BaMn$_2$Bi$_2$ that is tunable by a magnetic field perpendicular to the AF sublattices. Instead of an Anderson-Mott mechanism usually expected in strongly correlated systems, we find by scaling analyses that the MIT is driven by an Anderson localization. Electrical and thermoelectrical transport measurements in combination with electronic band calculations reveal a strong orbital-dependent correlation effect, where both weakly and strongly correlated $3d$-derived bands coexist with decoupled charge excitations. Weakly correlated holelike carriers in the $d_{xy}$-derived band dominate the transport properties and exhibit the Anderson localization, whereas other $3d$ bands show clear Mott-like behaviors with their spins ordered into AF sublattices. The tuning role played by the perpendicular magnetic field supports a strong spin-spin coupling between itinerant holelike carriers and the AF fluctuations, which is in sharp contrast to their weak charge coupling.

A very large negative magnetoresistance (LNMR) is observed in the insulating regime of the antiferromagnet BaMn$_2$Bi$_2$ when a magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the direction of the sublattice magnetization. High perpendicular magnetic field eventually suppresses the insulating behavior and allows BaMn$_2$Bi$_2$ to re-enter a metallic state. This effect is seemingly unrelated to any field induced magnetic phase transition, as measurements of magnetic susceptibility and specific heat did not find any anomaly as a function of magnetic fields at temperatures above $2\,\mathrm{K}$. The LNMR appears in both current-in-plane and current-out-of-plane settings, and Hall effects suggest that its origin lies in an extreme sensitivity of conduction processes of holelike carriers to the infinitesimal field-induced canting of the sublattice magnetization. The LNMR-induced metallic state may thus be associated with the breaking of the antiferromagnetic parity-time symmetry by perpendicular magnetic fields and/or the intricate multi-orbital electronic structure of BaMn$_2$Bi$_2$.

The interplay of orbital and spin degrees of freedom is the fundamental characteristic in numerous condensed matter phenomena, including high temperature superconductivity, quantum spin liquids, and topological semimetals. In iron-based superconductors (FeSCs), this causes superconductivity to emerge in the vicinity of two other instabilities: nematic and magnetic. Unveiling the mutual relationship among nematic order, spin fluctuations, and superconductivity has been a major challenge for research in FeSCs, but it is still controversial. Here, by carrying out 77Se nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements on FeSe single crystals, doped by cobalt and sulfur that serve as control parameters, we demonstrate that the superconducting transition temperature Tc increases in proportion to the strength of spin fluctuations, while it is independent of the nematic transition temperature Tnem. Our observation therefore directly implies that superconductivity in FeSe is essentially driven by spin fluctuations in the intermediate coupling regime, while nematic fluctuations have a marginal impact on Tc., Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures; includes supplementary materials (1 note and 3 figures)

Laser is one of the most important discoveries in the 20th century, and inorganic semiconductor lasers (ISCL) are most frequently used in many applications nowadays. Organic semiconductor lasers (OSCL) have many attractive features when they compared to ISCLs, such as flexibility, human friendliness, feasible and inexpensive production process, light weight, and multicolor emission. However, electrically driven OSCLs (el-OSCL) have not yet been realized, although they are possible in an optically driven mode. Here, we report that an el-OSCL can be realized in field-effect transistor (FET) structure. The FET el-OSCL with distributed feedback (DFB) construction is made using a BP3T single crystal as a lasing medium electrostatically laminated on a silicon substrate modified with periodically patterned polystyrene. An emergent sharp-linewidth emission spectrum to the resolution limit of a detector and a non-linear increase in intensity above the threshold current density of ca. 1 kA cm-2 was observed, being indicative of lasing. Discussions on the possible realization of lasing in el-OSCLs can be made from the comparison between optical and electrical-driven mode., Comment: 20 Pages, 4 Figures

Realization of intrinsic surface dominant transport in a wide temperature region for a topological insulators (TIs) is an important frontier research in order to promote the progresses of TIs towards the future electronics. We report here systematic measurements of longitudinal electrical transport, Shubnikov-de-Haas (SdH) quantum oscillations, Hall coefficient (R_H^2D), and Seebeck coefficient as a function of film thickness (d) and temperature using high quality Bi2-xSbxTe3-ySey (BSTS) single crystal thin films grown by physical vapor-phase deposition. The thickness dependence of sheet conductance and Seebeck coefficient clearly show the suppression of semiconducting hole carriers of bulk states by reducing film thickness, reaching to the surface dominant transport at below dc=14 nm. Quantitative arguments are made as to how the contribution of itinerant carrier number (n) can be suppressed, using both R_H^2D (n_Hall^2D) and SdH (n_SdH). Intriguingly, the value of n_Hall^2D approaches to be twice of n_SdH below dc. While R_H^2D shows a negative sign in whole temperature region, a change from negative to positive polarity is clearly observed for S at high temperatures when d is thick. We point out that this inconsistency observed between R_H^2D and S is intrinsic in 3D-TIs and its origin is the large difference in carrier mobility between the bulk and the topological surface. We propose that Seebeck coefficient can become a convenient and powerful tool to evaluate the intrinsic carrier concentration for the topological surface in 3D-TIs even in the absence of magnetic field., Comment: 17 pageg, 6 figures

We report the discovery of a novel giant magnetoresistance (GMR) phenomenon in a family of BaMn$_{2}$Pn$_{2}$ antiferromagnets (Pn stands for P, As, Sb, and Bi) with a parity-time symmetry. The resistivities of these materials are reduced by $60$ times in magnetic fields ($\vec{H}$'s), thus yielding the GMR of about $-98\%$. The GMR changes systematically along with the Pn elements, hinting that its origin is the spin orbit coupling (SOC) and/or $d$-$p$ orbital hybridization. A positive MR component emerging on top of the negative GMR at low temperatures suggests an orbital-sensitive magnetotransport as $\vec{H}$ suppresses the conduction of the electron-like carriers in the $d$-like band but enhances those of hole-like ones in the $d$-$p$ hybridized band. The anisotropy of the GMR reveals that the electrical conductivity is extremely sensitive to the minute changes in the direction of the antiferromagnetic moments induced by the parity-time breaking $\vec{H}$, which seems to be associated with a magnetoelectric effect in the dynamic regime of conduction electrons. We attribute the observed GMR to the non-trivial low energy band of BMPn's, which is governed by the parity-time symmetry and an magnetic hexadecapole ordering., Comment: 5 figures

The fine structure and temperature evolution of infrared spectra have been intensively used to probe the nature of Jahn-Teller dynamics in correlated materials. At the same time, theoretical framework to adequately extract the information on the complicated vibronic dynamics from infrared spectra is still lacking. In this work, the first-principles theory of the infrared spectra of dynamical Jahn-Teller system is developed and applied to the Mott-insulating Cs$_3$C$_{60}$. With the calculated coupling parameters for Jahn-Teller and infrared active vibrational modes, the manifestation of the dynamical Jahn-Teller effect in infrared spectra is elucidated. In particular, the temperature evolution of the infrared line shape is explained. The transformation of the latter into Fano resonance type in metallic fulleride is discussed on the basis of obtained results., Comment: 10 pages

Rattling motion of fillers in cage materials has been of great interest for their import roles in superconductivity and thermoelectric applications. The standing waves of the rattling oscillations are normally lower in energy than the propagating waves of the acoustic phonons, thus exert large influences on the configuration of phonon dispersions as well as the associated thermal and electrical properties. Although it has been extensively studied, the origin of the low energy soft modes is still not clear. In the present paper, we show that van der Waals-type interactions are predominant between fillers and their surrounding cage frameworks, which explains the origin of the low energy modes in cage materials as a universal rule. Mass, free space and chemical environment of guest atoms are shown to be the most important factors to determine the three dimensional van der Waals-type interactions. The present work is mainly focused on type-I clathrates, skutterudites and pyrochlores., Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures

In order to clarify electronic states and energy dissipations due to a motion of a vortex core in pure FeSe, which is a candidate superconductor possessing a super-clean core, we measured the microwave surface impedance of pure FeSe single crystals under finite magnetic fields. From the magnetic-field dependence of the flux-flow resistivity, we found that a barometer of electronic states inside the vortex core $\omega_{0}\tau_{\rm core}$ is $1\pm0.5$, suggesting that the vortex core of pure FeSe is in the moderately clean regime contrary to the expectation of the super-clean core. We also found that the mean-free path inside the vortex core is suppressed at the distance of the order of the core radius. Based on observed results and previous reports, we discussed possible origins of rather small $\omega_{0}\tau_{\rm core}$ value in terms of the multiple-bands nature of FeSe and additional mechanisms producing extra energy dissipations specific to the vortex core in motion., Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures (6 in main part and 2 in Appendix)

Graphene with excellent 2D characters has been required to expand their potentials for meeting applicational demands in recent years. As one avenue, several approaches for fablicating 3D porous graphene network structures have been developed to realize multi-functional graphene materials with 2D graphene. Here we overview characteristics of 3D porous graphene for future electronic device applications along with physical insights into "2D to 3D graphene", where the characters of 2D graphene such as massless Dirac fermions are well preserved. The present review thus summarizes recent 3D porous graphene studies with a perspective for providing new and board graphene electronic device applications., Comment: 27 page, 12 figures

We report thermoelectric (TE) properties of topological surface Dirac states (TSDS) in three-dimensional topological insulators (3D-TIs) purely isolated from the bulk by employing single crystal Bi$_{2-x}$Sb$_x$Te$_{3-y}$Se$_y$ films epitaxially grown in the ultrathin limit. Two intrinsic nontrivial topological surface states, a metallic TSDS (m-TSDS) and a gap-opened semiconducting topological state (g-TSDS), are successfully observed by electrical transport, and important TE parameters (electrical conductivity (${\sigma}$), thermal conductivity (${\kappa}$), and thermopower ($S$)) are accurately determined. Pure m-TSDS gives $S$=-44 {\mu}VK$^{-1}$, which is an order of magnitude higher than those of the conventional metals and the value is enhanced to -212 {\mu}VK$^{-1}$ for g-TSDS. It is clearly shown that the semi-classical Boltzmann transport equation (SBTE) in the framework of constant relaxation time (${\tau}$) most frequently used for conventional analysis cannot be valid in 3D-TIs and strong energy dependent relaxation time ${\tau}(E)$ beyond the Born approximation is essential for making intrinsic interpretations. Although ${\sigma}$ is protected on the m-TSDS, ${\kappa}$ is greatly influenced by the disorder on the topological surface, giving a dissimilar effect between topologically protected electronic conduction and phonon transport., Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures

Graphene, as a promising material of post-silicon electronics, opens a new paradigm for the novel electronic properties and device applications. On the other hand, the 2D feature of graphene makes it technically challenging to be integrated into 3D transistors with a sufficient processor capacity. Although there are many attempts to assemble 2D graphene into 3D structures, the characteristics of massless Dirac fermions cannot be well preserved in these materials for transistor applications. Here we report a high-performance graphene transistor by utilizing 3D nanoporous graphene which is comprised of an interconnected single graphene sheet and a commodious open porosity to infuse an ionic liquid for a tunable electronic state by applying electric fields. The 3D nanoporous graphene transistor, with high carrier mobility of 5000-7500 cm$^2$V$^{-1}$s$^{-1}$, exhibits two to three orders of magnitude higher electric conductance and capacitance than those of 2D graphene devices, along with preserved ambipolor electronic nature of Dirac cones. Moreover, the 3D graphene networks with Dirac fermions turn out to exhibit a unique nonlinear Hall resistance in a wide range of the gate voltages. The high quality 3D nanoporous graphene EDLT may open a new field for utilizing Dirac fermions in 3D network structures for various fundamental and practical applications., Comment: 25 page, 11 Figures, 1 Tables

Temperature dependence of resistivity of single crystals of Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$Se and FeSe$_{1-y}$S$_y$ is studied in detail under zero and high magnetic field (magnetoresistance), the latter of which enables to monitor the temperature ($T$) evolution of resistivity below the onset of superconducting transition temperature ($T_{\rm c}$). In FeSe$_{1-y}$S$_y$, $T$-linear dependence of resistivity is prominent in $y$ = 0.160 below 40 K, whereas it changes to a Fermi-liquid(FL)-like $T^2$ one below 10 K in $y$ = 0.212. These suggest that the quantum critical point (QCP) originating from the electronic nematicity resides around $y$ = 0.160 and the fluctuation in QCP gives rise anomalous $T$-linear dependence in resistivity in a wide $T$ range. In Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$Se, resistivity gradually changes from linear- to quadratic- $T$-dependent one at low temperatures in the range between $x$ = 0.036 and 0.075. These could be interpreted by scenarios of both the nematic QCP and the crossover in the ground states between the orthorhombic nematic phase and the tetragonal phase. The anomalies found as $T$-linear resistivity are discussed in terms of orbital and spin fluctuation arising from the nematic QCP., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures

A topological p-n junction (TPNJ) is an important concept to control spin and charge transport on a surface of three dimensional topological insulators (3D-TIs). Here we report successful fabrication of such TPNJ on a surface of 3D-TI Bi$_{2-x}$Sb$_x$Te$_{3-y}$Se$_y$ thin films and experimental observation of the electrical transport. By tuning the chemical potential of n-type topological Dirac surface of BSTS on its top half by employing tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane as an organic acceptor molecule, a half surface can be converted to p-type with leaving the other half side as the opposite n-type, and consequently TPNJ can be created. By sweeping the back-gate voltage in the field effect transistor structure, the TPNJ was controlled both on the bottom and the top surfaces. A dramatic change in electrical transport observed at the TPNJ on 3D-TI thin films promises novel spin and charge transport of 3D-TIs for future spintronics., Comment: 31pages, 5 figures

Uniform and large area synthesis of bulk insulating ultrathin films is an important subject toward applications of a surface of three dimensional topological insulators (3D-TIs) in various electronic devices. Here we report epitaxial growth of bulk insulating three dimensional topological insulator (3D-TI) Bi2-xSbxTe3-ySey (BSTS) ultrathin films, ranging from a few quintuple to several hundreds of layaers, on mica in a large-area (1 cm2) via catalyst free physical vapor deposition. These films can nondestructively be exfoliated using deionized water and transferred to various kinds of substrates as desired. The transferred BSTS thin films show good ambipolar characteristics as well as well defined quantum oscillations arising from the topological surface states. Carrier mobility of 2500-5100 cm2(Vs)-1 is comparable to the high quality bulk BSTS single crystal. Moreover, tunable electronic states from the massless to the massive Dirac fermion were observed with a decrease in the film thickness. Both the feasible large area synthesis and the reliable film transfer process can promise that BSTS ultrathin films will pave a route to many applications of 3D-TIs., Comment: 18 page, 4 figures

Low-temperature specific heat (SH) is measured on the postannealed Ba(Fe_{1-x}Ni_x)_2As_2 single crystal with x = 0.058 under different magnetic fields. The sample locates on the overdoped sides and the critical transition temperature is determined to be 14.8 K by both the magnetization and SH measurements. A simple and reliable analysis shows that, besides the phonon and normal electronic contributions, a clear T2 termemerges in the low temperature SH data.Our observation is similar to that observed in the Co-doped system in our previous work and is consistent with the theoretical prediction for a superconductor with line nodes in the energy gap., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

Charge transfer (CT) at metal-graphene contacts induces a potential variation from the contact edges that extends to ~1 micrometer. Potential variations with a similar length should be observed around charge-transferring surface adsorbates. Thus, it is expected that a competition exists between these two CT sources when one source is within ~1 micrometer from the other. In this letter, weakly-coupled Ni contacts and 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethan molecules are employed as the CT sources to investigate their possible competition. The CT from the molecules adsorbed only in the channel region change the charge density of the graphene in the under-contact regions. The extent of the CT effect in the under-contact region is as long as ~4 micrometers. The considerably long CT is ascribed to the high effective dielectric constant of the graphene under the contacts, resulting from a thin interfacial NiOx layer containing carbon impurities acquired from the graphene., Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures

We report the growth of high quality Bi$_{2-x}$Sb$_x$Te$_{3-y}$Se$_y$ ultrathin nanoplates (BSTS-NPs) on an electrically insulating fluorophlogopite mica substrate using a catalyst-free vapor solid method. Under an optimized pressure and suitable Ar gas flow rate, we control the thickness, the size and the composition of BSTS-NPs. Raman spectra showing systematic change indicate that the thicknesses and compositions of BSTS-NPs are indeed accurately controlled. Electrical transport demonstrates that a robust Dirac cone carrier transport in BSTS-NPs. Since BSTS-NPs provide superior dominant surface transport of the tunable Dirac cone surface states with negligible contribution of the conduction of the bulk states, BSTS-NPs provide an ideal platform to explore intrinsic physical phenomena as well as technological applications of 3-dimensional topological insulators in the future., Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, To be published in APL

Graphene field-effect transistors with source/drain contacts made of metals that can be easily oxidized such as ferromagnetic metals often display a double dip structure in the transfer characteristics because of charge density depinning at the contacts. Generally, transfer characteristics of field-effect transistors show no dependence on the length of the source/drain contacts because charge carrier injection occurs mainly at the edges of the contact. However, the shape of the transfer characteristics of devices fabricated using Ni contacts is found to be dependent on the length of the contact. This peculiar behavior was attributed to charge carrier injection from near the center of the contacts. This is because of oxygen diffusion and the resultant formation of an interfacial oxide layer of non-uniform thickness. The observed contact length dependent transfer characteristics were reproduced using a model calculation that includes charge carrier injection from the center of the electrode and subsequent charge transport underneath the metal contact.

Unconventional high temperature superconductivity as well as three-dimensional bulk Dirac cone quantum states arising from the unique d-orbital topology has been a recent priority research area in physics. In iron pnictide compounds, although transport phenomena arisen from this multiple band Fermi surface are intriguing and scientifically important, they still do not give an adequate matching to neither experimental observations on the band picture nor theoretical calculations and a debate continues. Here we describe a new analytical approach of mobility spectrum, in which the carrier number is conveniently described as a function of mobility without any hypothesis about the number of carriers, on both longitudinal and transverse transport of high quality single crystal Ba(FeAs)$_2$ in a wide range of magnetic field. We show that the major numbers of carriers reside in large parabolic hole and electron pockets with very different topology as well as remarkably different mobility spectra, while the minor number of Dirac carriers resides in both hole- and electron- Dirac quantum states with the largest mobility as high as 70,000 cm$^2$(Vs)$^{-1}$., Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures

As a methodology for controlling the carrier transport of topological insulators (TI's), a flexible tuning in carrier number on the surface states (SS's) of three dimensional TI's by surface modifications using organic molecules is described. The principle of the carrier tuning and its type conversion of TI's presented in this research are based on the charge transfer of holes or electrons at the TI/organic molecule interface. By employing 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4-TCNQ) as an electron acceptor or tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) as a donor for n- and p- Bi2-xSbxTe3-ySey (BSTS) single crystals, successful carrier conversion from n to p and its reverse mode is demonstrated depending on the electron affinities of the molecules. The present method provides a nondestructive and efficient method for local tuning in carrier density of TI's, and is useful for future applications., Comment: 22 page, 3 figure

Metal/semiconductor interfaces govern the operation of semiconductor devices through the formation of charge injection barriers that can be controlled by tuning the metal work function. However, the controlling ability is typically limited to being static. We show that a dynamic nature can be imparted to the interfaces using electrode surface modification with a structurally disordered molecular monolayer. The barrier height at the interfaces is altered significantly in a reversible way by an external electric field. As a result, a dramatic change in the carrier transport properties through the interfaces is observed, such as a reversible polarity reversion of metal/organic-semiconductor/metal diodes., Comment: 25 pages

Oxygen molecules are found to exhibit non-negligible reactivity with graphene under strong light irradiation in the presence of water. The reaction is triggered by the laser Raman spectroscopy measurement itself, and the D band (ca. 1340 cm-1) becomes larger as the laser irradiation is prolonged. The electronic transport properties of the graphene derivative are also investigated and both the electron and hole mobility are found to be reduced. These results are attributed to oxidation of graphene. This primitive modification method can be exploited to manipulate the structural and electronic properties of graphene., Comment: 22 pages including supporting information

The gate-voltage (VG) dependence of the contact resistance (RC) in graphene field-effect transistors is characterized by the transmission line model. The RC-VG characteristics of Ag, Cu, and Au contacts display a dip around the charge neutrality point, and become even negative with Ag contacts. The dip structure is well reproduced by a model calculation that considers a metal-contact-induced potential variation near the metal contact edges. The apparently negative RC originates with the carrier doping from the metal contacts to the graphene channel and appears when the doping effect is more substantial than the actual contact resistance precisely at the contacts. The negative RC can appear at the metal contacts to Dirac-cone systems such as graphene., Comment: 7 figures, 1 table

Low-temperature specific heat is measured on the overdoped Ba(Fe_{1-x}Co_x)_2As_2 (x = 0.13) single crystal under magnetic fields along three different directions. A clear anisotropy is observed on the field dependent electronic specific heat coefficient {\gamma}(H). The value of {\gamma}(H) is obviously larger with magnetic field along [001] (c-axis) than that within the ab-plane of the crystal lattice, which cannot be attributed to the effect by anisotropy of the upper critical field. Meanwhile, the data show a rather small difference when the direction of the field is rotated from [100] to [110] direction within the ab-plane. Our results suggest that a considerable part of the line nodes is not excited to contribute to the quasiparticle density of states by the field when the field is within the ab-plane. The constraints on the topology of the gap nodes are discussed based on our observations., Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures

Low-temperature specific heat (SH) is measured on Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_{x}$)$_2$As$_2$ single crystals in a wide doping region under different magnetic fields. For the overdoped sample, we find the clear evidence for the presence of $T^2$ term in the data, which is absent both for the underdoped and optimal doped samples, suggesting the presence of line nodes in the energy gap of the overdoped samples. Moreover, the field induced electron specific heat coefficient $\Delta\gamma(H)$ increases more quickly with the field for the overdoped sample than the underdoped and optimal doped ones, giving another support to our arguments. Our results suggest that the superconducting gap(s) in the present system may have different structures strongly depending on the doping regions., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

A method for determining the type of charge carrier, electron or hole, which is transferred from metal contacts to graphene, is described. The Dirac point is found to shift toward more negative (positive) gate voltages for electron (hole) doping by shortening of the interelectrode spacing. The shift of the Dirac point is accompanied by an enhancement of the electron-hole conductivity asymmetry. Experimentally determined carrier types may be explained in terms of the metal work functions modified by interactions with graphene., Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures

The quantum transport of Dirac cone states in the iron pnictide Ba(FeAs)$_2$ with a d-\,multiband system is studied by using single crystal samples. The transverse magnetoresistance develops linearly against magnetic field at low temperatures. The transport phenomena are interpreted in terms of the 0$^{th}$ Landau level by applying the theory predicted by Abrikosov. The results of the semiclassical analyses of a two carrier system under low magnetic field limit show that both electron and hole reside as the high mobility states, being indicative to the fact that both electron- and hole Dirac cone states should be taken into account in pairs for having the real interpretation of low temperature electronic states in iron pnictides, being in contrast to the previous reports., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures

An anomalous distortion is often observed in the transfer characteristics of graphene field-effect transistors. We fabricate graphene transistors with ferromagnetic metal electrodes, which reproducibly display distorted transfer characteristics, and show that the distortion is caused by metal-graphene contacts with no charge-density pinning effect. The pinning effect, where the gate voltage cannot tune the charge density of graphene at the metal electrodes, has been experimentally observed; however, a pinning-free interface is achieved with easily-oxidizable metals. The distortion should be a serious problem for flexible electronic devices with graphene., Comment: To be published in Appl. Phys. Lett

By substituting Fe with the 5d-transition metal Pt in BaFe2As2, we have successfully synthesized the superconductors BaFe2-xPtxAs2. The systematic evolution of the lattice constants indicates that the Fe ions were successfully replaced by Pt ions. By increasing the doping content of Pt, the antiferromagnetic order and structural transition of the parent phase is suppressed and superconductivity emerges at a doping level of about x = 0.02. At a doping level of x = 0.1, we get a maximum transition temperature Tc of about 25 K. The synchrotron powder x-ray diffraction shows that the resistivity anomaly is in good agreement with the structural transition. The superconducting transitions at different magnetic fields were also measured at the doping level of about x = 0.1, yielding a slope of -dHc2/dT = 5.4 T/K near Tc. A phase diagram was established for the Pt doped 122 system. Our results suggest that superconductivity can also be easily induced in the FeAs family by substituting the Fe with Pt, with almost the similar maximum transition temperatures as doping Ni, Co, Rh and Ir., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures