RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science Emergent Interface Functionality Research Unit
Unit Leader: Shinichi Nishihaya (Ph.D.)
Research Summary
In this unit, we explore and understand quantum physical phenomena in artificially engineered interfaces and nanostructures fabricated from a wide range of materials. In particular, we focus on high-mobility materials, including topological materials, and semiconductors. Through advanced epitaxial growth techniques, we realize thin-film and membrane samples and fabricate diverse heterointerfaces and local structures with controlled spatial inhomogeneity. By integrating structural design across multiple length scales with high-precision electrical transport measurements and local probe techniques, we seek to uncover novel quantum phases and transport functionalities that cannot be achieved in homogeneous structures or flat crystalline planes.
Main Research Fields
- Mathematical & Physical Sciences
Related Research Fields
- Engineering
- Chemistry
- Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering
- Thin film/surface and interfacial physical properties-related
- Semiconductors, optical properties of condensed 10010 Social psychology-related matter and atomic physics-related
- Magnetism, superconductivity and strongly 10030 Clinical psychology-related correlated systems-related
Keywords
- Thin films and interfaces
- Topological materials
- Quantum transport phenomena
- Unconventional Hall effect
- Nanometer scale fabrication
Selected Publications
Papers with an asterisk(*) are based on research conducted outside of RIKEN.
- 1.* S. Nishihaya, Y. Matsuki, H. Kaminakamura, Y. Murakami, H. Ishizuka, and M. Uchida.:
"Spontaneous in-plane anomalous Hall response observed in a ferromagnetic oxide"
Advanced Materials 37, e02624 (2025) - 2.S. Nishihaya, H. Ishizuka, Y. Deguchi, A. Nakamura, T. Yoneda, H. Lee, M. Kriener, and M. Uchida.:
"Anomalous Hall effect in the Dirac semimetal Cd3As2 probed by in-plane magnetic field"
Physical Review Letters 135, 106603 (2025) - 3.* S. Nishihaya, M. J. A. Jardine, H. S. Inbar, A. Goswami, J. T. Dong, A. N. Engel, Y.-H. Chang, C. P. Dempsey, M. Hashimoto, D. Lu, N. Marom, and C. J. Palmstrøm.:
"Near-half-metallic state in the half Heusler PtMnSb film on a III-V substrate"
Physical Review Materials 9, 044403 (2025) - 4.S. Nishihaya, Y. Watanabe, M. Kriener, A. Nakamura, and M. Uchida.:
"Topological Hall effect enhanced at magnetic transition fields in a frustrated magnet EuCd2"
Physical Review B 110, 035159 (2024) - 5.S. Nishihaya, A. Nakamura, M. Ohno, M. Kriener, Y. Watanabe, M. Kawasaki, and M. Uchida.:
"Intrinsic insulating transport characteristics in low-carrier density EuCd2As2 films"
Applied Physics Letters 124, 023103 (2024) - 6.S. Nishihaya, M. Uchida, Y. Nakazawa, M. Kriener, Y. Taguchi, and M. Kawasaki.:
"Intrinsic coupling between spatially-separated surface Fermi-arcs in Weyl orbit quantum Hall states"
Nature Communications 12, 2572 (2021) - 7.S. Nishihaya, M. Uchida, Y. Nakazawa, R. Kurihara, K. Akiba, M. Kriener, A. Miyake, Y. Taguchi, M. Tokunaga, and M. Kawasaki.:
"Quantized surface transport in topological Dirac semimetal films"
Nature Communications 10, 2564 (2019) - 8.S. Nishihaya, M. Uchida, Y. Nakazawa, K. Akiba, M. Kriener, Y. Kozuka, A. Miyake, Y. Taguchi, M. Tokunaga, and M. Kawasaki.:
"Negative magnetoresistance suppressed through a topological phase transition in (Cd1-xZnx)3As2 thin films"
Physical Review B 97, 245103 (2018) - 9.S. Nishihaya, M. Uchida, Y. Nakazawa, M. Kriener, Y. Kozuka, Y. Taguchi, and M. Kawasaki.:
"Gate-tuned quantum Hall states in Dirac semimetal (Cd1-xZnx)3As2"
Science Advances 4, eaar5668 (2018) - 10.S. Nishihaya, M. Uchida, Y. Kozuka, Y. Iwasa, and M. Kawasaki.:
"Evolution of Insulator-Metal Phase Transitions in Epitaxial Tungsten Oxide Films during Electrolyte-Gating"
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 8, 22330 (2016)
Lab Members
Principal investigator
- Shinichi Nishihaya
- Unit Leader
Contact Information
2-1 Hirosawa,
Wako, Saitama
351-0198, Japan
Email: shinichi.nishihaya@riken.jp