Search

A comparative study of the electronic and optical properties of Mn-Bi-Te layered compounds was carried out using spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) over a photon energy range of 0.7–6.5 eV at room temperature and density functional theory (DFT)-based first-principle calculations within the general gradient approximation with Hubbard like correction (GGA+U) and allowance for a spin-orbital coupling. The total energies of the above compounds in ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) spin configurations are obtained by taking the long-range van der Waals interaction into account. The stability of the AFM state of MnBi2Te4 and MnBi4Te7 over the corresponding FM counterpart is disclosed. The SE-based and calculated dielectric functions are compared. It is shown that interband optical transitions in the accessed photon energy range mainly occur between Mn 3d + Te 5p states of the valence band and Bi 6p + Te 5p with a small admixture of Mn 3d states of the conduction band. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narrow bandgap Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3, and Sb2Te3, commonly referred to as classic 3D topological insulators, were studied at room temperature by spectroscopic ellipsometry and optical reflection spectroscopy over the mid-IR–near-infrared photon energy range. Complementarily, Hall measurements were performed. Plasmons in optical loss function and reflection coefficient were identified. The conventional approach based on the high frequency dielectric constant was shown to work well in the description of plasmons in Bi2Se3 and Sb2Te3 and to fail in the case of a similar compound, Bi2Te3. The obtained results are discussed in terms of single- and multivalley approaches to the studied samples with taking the details of the calculated band structure into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]