Merging topology and superconducting at epitaxial interfaces

Understanding and engineering functional quantum phenomena remain major challenges, due to complex underlying physics as well as the difficulty of integrating structurally dissimilar materials while managing defects. In this talk, I will present recent discoveries showing how new phenomena can emerge at the interfaces of materials grown as thin films using molecular beam epitaxy. I will focus on interfacially enhanced superconductivity at the Fe(Te,Se)/Bi-Te interface [1–2] and the integration of superconductivity with non-trivial spin-momentum texture in the candidate altermagnet MnTe [3–4]. A central message is that these advances arise from the close coupling between materials synthesis and characterization of electronic and magnetic properties. This integrated approach is essential for disentangling the mechanisms behind functional quantum phenomena and for understanding how these phases can be tuned. In particular, understanding what phases are formed, the effects of strain, the movement of chalcogenides across interfaces, and the influence of electrostatic charge transfer are all critical. Together, these insights will ultimately guide the development of next-generation microelectronic technologies.