
A thin-plate sample of the Weyl semimetal Co2MnGa prepared using a focused-ion beam. Thickness = 1 micron. This device has contacts on both the top surface and the bottom, allowing us to map out the full 3D resistance anisotropy.
Some materials exhibit novel transport phenomena when they are made very thin. We use a focused ion beam (FIB) of Ga2+ ions to precisely remove small sections from single crystals of various materials and polish them to sub-micron thicknesses (FIB microscope located at the Princeton Imaging and Analysis Center.) These thin crystals have a large surface-to-volume ratio which can enhance transport effects from surface states that are normally obscured by bulk states. For example, in a recent paper we found that thin lamellae of the ferromagnetic Weyl semimetal Co2MnGa host an unexpected conductance anisotropy that rotates by 90 degrees between the upper and lower faces. Using a series of careful measurements at temperatures down to 1.8 K, we show that this highly unusual transport anisotropy most likely arises from distinct topological surface states.

Operation of a dual-beam (Ga2+ ion and e-) system. From Focused Ion Beams (FIB) — Novel Methodologies and Recent Applications for Multidisciplinary Sciences