Defect Engineering of the Magnetic and Topological Properties of Natural van der Waals Heterostructural Compounds nMnTe.mBi₂Te₃

A family of compounds with the general formula<i> n</i>MnTe.<i>m</i>Bi₂Te₃ were intensively investigated in the last three years as the first family of intrinsic magnetic topological insulators, where an ideal marriage of non-trivial electronic topology and magnetism makes them a promising materials platform for exotic quantum phenomena. There are ample experimental evidence for the presence of lattice defects in these natural van der Waals heterostructural compounds. Identifying these defects and understanding their behavior are critical in fine tuning of the magnetic and topological properties in bulk materials or in atomic limit. In this presentation, I will talk about the type, concentration, and distribution of lattice defects with special emphasis on magnetic defects and their effects on the physical properties. I will discuss how these magnetic defects can be employed to engineer the magnetic and topological properties of <i>n</i>MnTe.<i>m</i>Bi₂Te₃.<br/>This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division.