Large magnetic gap at the Dirac point in Bi2Te3/MnBi2Te4 heterostructures.

Magnetically doped topological insulators enable the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE), which provides quantized edge states for lossless charge-transport applications1-8. The edge states are hosted by a magnetic energy gap at the Dirac point2, but hitherto all attempts to observe this gap directly have been unsuccessful. Observing the gap is considered to be essential to overcoming the limitations of the QAHE, which so far occurs only at temperatures that are one to two orders of magnitude below the ferromagnetic Curie temperature, TC (ref. 8). Here we use low-temperature photoelectron spectroscopy to unambiguously reveal the magnetic gap of Mn-doped Bi2Te3, which displays ferromagnetic out-of-plane spin texture and opens up only below TC. Surprisingly, our analysis reveals large gap sizes at 1 kelvin of up to 90 millielectronvolts, which is five times larger than theoretically predicted9. Using multiscale analysis we show that this enhancement is due to a remarkable structure modification induced by Mn doping: instead of a disordered impurity system, a self-organized alternating sequence of MnBi2Te4 septuple and Bi2Te3 quintuple layers is formed. This enhances the wavefunction overlap and size of the magnetic gap10. Mn-doped Bi2Se3 (ref. 11) and Mn-doped Sb2Te3 form similar heterostructures, but for Bi2Se3 only a nonmagnetic gap is formed and the magnetization is in the surface plane. This is explained by the smaller spin-orbit interaction by comparison with Mn-doped Bi2Te3. Our findings provide insights that will be crucial in pushing lossless transport in topological insulators towards room-temperature applications.

Vertical external cavity surface emitting PbTe/CdTe quantum dot lasers for the mid-infrared spectral region.

Optically pumped vertical external cavity surface emitting lasers (VECSELS) emitting in the mid-infrared range are demonstrated with an active structure based on PbTe quantum dots (QDs) embedded in CdTe. In contrast to Stranski-Krastanov QDs, the PbTe QDs are fabricated by a strain-free synthesis method consisting of a molecular beam epitaxy growth step followed by a post-growth-annealing step. The laser emission of the VECSELs covers a wavelength range between 3.5 and 4.3 µm by changing the temperature from 85 to 240 K. The threshold power is lower than 100 mW(P) and the output power is more than 50 mW(P) at low temperature.

Strain relief and shape oscillations in site-controlled coherent SiGe islands.

Strain engineering and the crystalline quality of semiconductor nanostructures are important issues for electronic and optoelectronic devices. We report on defect-free SiGe island arrays resulting from Ge coverages of up to 38 monolayers grown on prepatterned Si(001) substrates. This represents a significant expansion of the parameter space known for the growth of perfect island arrays. A cyclic development of the Ge content and island shape was observed while increasing the Ge coverage. Synchrotron-based x-ray diffraction experiments and finite element method calculations allow us to study the strain behavior of such islands in great detail. In contrast to the oscillatory changes of island shape and average Ge content, the overall strain behavior of these islands exhibits a clear monotonic trend of progressive strain relaxation with increasing Ge coverage.

Molecular beam epitaxy of single phase GeMnTe with high ferromagnetic transition temperature.

Ferromagnetic Ge(1-x)Mn(x)Te is a promising candidate for diluted magnetic semiconductors because solid solutions exist over a wide range of compositions up to x(Mn)≈0.5, where a maximum in the total magnetization occurs. In this work, a systematic study of molecular beam epitaxy of GeMnTe on (1 1 1) BaF(2) substrates is presented, in which the Mn concentration as well as growth conditions were varied over a wide range. The results demonstrate that single phase growth of GeMnTe can be achieved only in a narrow window of growth conditions, whereas at low as well as high temperatures secondary phases or even phase separation occurs. The formation of secondary phases strongly reduces the layer magnetization as well as the Curie temperatures. Under optimized conditions, single phase GeMnTe layers are obtained with Curie temperatures as high as 200 K for Mn concentrations close to the solubility limit of x(Mn)=50%.

Collective shape oscillations of SiGe islands on pit-patterned Si(001) substrates: a coherent-growth strategy enabled by self-regulated intermixing.

The shape of coherent SiGe islands epitaxially grown on pit-patterned Si(001) substrates displays very uniform collective oscillations with increasing Ge deposition, transforming cyclically between shallower "dome" and steeper "barn" morphologies. Correspondingly, the average Ge content in the alloyed islands also displays an oscillatory behavior, superimposed on a progressive Si enrichment with increasing size. We show that such a growth mode, remarkably different from the flat-substrate case, allows the islands to keep growing in size while avoiding plastic relaxation.

Computer-controlled impalement of cells in retinal wholemounts visualized by infrared CCD imaging on an inverted microscope.

We present a computer-guided microelectrode positioning system that is routinely used in our laboratory for intracellular electrophysiology and functional staining of retinal neurons. Wholemount preparations of isolated retina are kept in a superfusion chamber on the stage of an inverted microscope. Cells and layers of the retina are visualized by Nomarski interference contrast using infrared light in combination with a CCD camera system. After five-point calibration has been performed the electrode can be guided to any point inside the calibrated volume without moving the retina. Electrode deviations from target cells can be corrected by the software further improving the precision of this system. The good visibility of cells avoids prelabeling with fluorescent dyes and makes it possible to work under completely dark adapted conditions.