Spectroscopic evidence of intra-unit-cell charge redistribution in charge-neutral magnetic topological insulator Sb-doped MnBi6Te10

Abstract

The magnetic topological insulator MnBi$_{6}$Te$_{10}$ has emerged as a promising candidate for realizing the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE), owing to its ability to retain ferromagnetism through precise control of anti-site defects. The next important task for realizing the QAHE is to tune the chemical potential into the energy gap formed by the broken time-reversal symmetry. Here we reveal an intra-unit-cell charge redistribution even when the overall doping suggests a near-charge-neutral condition. By performing time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (trARPES) on the optimally 18% Sb-doped MnBi$_{6}$Te$_{10}$, we observe transient surface photovoltage (SPV) effects on both the MnBi$_{2}$Te$_{4}$ and single-Bi$_{2}$Te$_{3}$ terminations. Furthermore, we observe a time-dependent splitting of the band structure indicating multiple SPV shifts with different magnitudes. This observation suggests that adjacent plateaus with nominally the same terminating layer exhibit a strong intra-unit-cell charge redistribution, resulting in spontaneous electrical polarization. This is consistent with static micro-ARPES measurements revealing significant doping deviations from the charge-neutral configuration. Our findings underscore the challenges of engineering the family of Mn-Bi-Te materials to realize QAHE purely through chemical doping. Achieving the desired topological quantum phase requires both a uniform carrier doping and a ferromagnetic ground state. Furthermore, the light-induced polarization within each unit cell of ferromagnetic Mn(Bi$_{0.82}$Sb$_{0.18}$)$_{6}$Te$_{10}$ may open new possibilities for optoelectronic and spintronics.