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Main Authors: Kim, Inseo, Kang, Byungkyun, Kim, Hyunsoo, Choi, Minseok
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.04927
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author Kim, Inseo
Kang, Byungkyun
Kim, Hyunsoo
Choi, Minseok
author_facet Kim, Inseo
Kang, Byungkyun
Kim, Hyunsoo
Choi, Minseok
contents Crystallographic defects in a topological semimetal can result in charge doping, and the scattering due to the defects may mask its exotic transport properties. Here, we investigate the possible crystallographic defects including vacancy and antisite in Weyl semimetal LaAlGe using hybrid-density-functional theory calculations. We show that a considerable concentration of Al- and Ge-related defects naturally form during growth due to their low formation enthalpy. Specifically, Al can be easily replaced by Ge in the $I4_1md$ phase of LaAlGe, forming the Ge-on-Al antisite, Ge$_{\rm Al}$. The counterpart, Al-on-Ge (Al$_{\rm Ge}$), is also probable. The most abundant defect Ge$_{\rm Al}$ is donor-like, effectively electron-doping, and these defects are therefore not only scattering centers in the electronic transport process but may also induce the substantial vertical shift of the chemical potential. The results imply that the naturally occurring defects hinder both spectroscopic and transport features arising from the Weyl physics in LaAlGe. Our work can be applied to the $R$AlGe family ($R$=rare earth) and help improve the quality of single-crystal magnetic Weyl semimetal.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2401_04927
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Crystallographic defects in Weyl semimetal LaAlGe
Kim, Inseo
Kang, Byungkyun
Kim, Hyunsoo
Choi, Minseok
Materials Science
Crystallographic defects in a topological semimetal can result in charge doping, and the scattering due to the defects may mask its exotic transport properties. Here, we investigate the possible crystallographic defects including vacancy and antisite in Weyl semimetal LaAlGe using hybrid-density-functional theory calculations. We show that a considerable concentration of Al- and Ge-related defects naturally form during growth due to their low formation enthalpy. Specifically, Al can be easily replaced by Ge in the $I4_1md$ phase of LaAlGe, forming the Ge-on-Al antisite, Ge$_{\rm Al}$. The counterpart, Al-on-Ge (Al$_{\rm Ge}$), is also probable. The most abundant defect Ge$_{\rm Al}$ is donor-like, effectively electron-doping, and these defects are therefore not only scattering centers in the electronic transport process but may also induce the substantial vertical shift of the chemical potential. The results imply that the naturally occurring defects hinder both spectroscopic and transport features arising from the Weyl physics in LaAlGe. Our work can be applied to the $R$AlGe family ($R$=rare earth) and help improve the quality of single-crystal magnetic Weyl semimetal.
title Crystallographic defects in Weyl semimetal LaAlGe
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.04927