Ultra-thin Kagome materials

epitaxially grown films fabricated with single layer precision

By leveraging their distinctive properties, we aim to develop materials that can transform technologies such as qunatum computing and spintronics.

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What Happens When Electrons Get Trapped in a Japanese Basket Weave?

What happens when you arrange atoms into a pattern of corner-sharing triangles? You get the Kagome lattice—a quantum playground hosting flat bands and graphene-like Dirac bands. From hosting dissipationless edge states via spin-orbit coupling to morphing into 3D Weyl semimetals, these magnetic materials mimic Landau levels without external fields, unlocking the future of topological quantum computing.

Our workflow

1. Fabrication

Using Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) to deposit atoms layer-by-layer in ultra-high vaccuum (1e-10 mbar) to precisely fabricate atomically-thin layered materials.

2. In-situ RHEED and LEED

RHEED and LEED  for surface-sensitive diffraction measurements to determine crystal structure and geometry, performed in-situ.

3. XPS studies

Determine stoichiometric ratios using lab and synchrotron-based XPS, alongside exposure studies to analyse material composition and chemical stability.

4. AFM surface characterisation

We characterise surface topography using AFM at the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication and measure surface roughness.

5. ARPES

Using ARPES, we map electronic band structures to directly to reveal critical features such as flat bands and Dirac points.

6. STM and STS

Imaging nanoscale surface topology using STM and performing spectroscopy to directly probe the local density of states.

What we've discovered

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Research projects
ACS Nano

Reactivity of Ultrathin Kagome Metal FeSn toward Oxygen and Water

The kagome metal FeSn alternates iron kagome layers, offering great potential for low-energy spintronics. Using synchrotron X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and DFT calculations, we studied the air stability of epitaxial films under 10 nm thick. Atmospheric and controlled in situ oxygen & water exposures reveal highly selective oxidation: it occurs almost exclusively within the tin honeycomb Sn2 layers, forming a stable 3 nm oxide within 10 minutes. Crucially, the iron kagome layers remain pristine, preserving the material's metallic Dirac bands. This unique self-passivating behaviour provides a new blueprint for engineering future kagome-based quantum devices.

September 26, 2024