The recent identification of α-MnTe as a candidate altermagnet has attracted considerable interest, particularly for its potential application in magnetic random-access memory. However, the development of high-quality thin films - essential for practical implementation - has remained limited. Here, we report the epitaxial growth of centimeter-scale α-MnTe thin films on InP(111) substrates via molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Through X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, we construct a MnTe phase diagram that provides clear guidance for stabilizing the pure α-MnTe phase, revealing that it is favored under high Te/Mn flux ratios and elevated growth temperatures. Cross-sectional electron microscopy confirms an atomically sharp film-substrate interface, consistent with a layer-by-layer epitaxial growth mode. Remarkably, these high-quality α-MnTe films exhibit a pronounced anomalous Hall effect (AHE) originating from Berry curvature, despite a net magnetic moment approaching zero - a signature of robust altermagnetic character. Our work establishes a viable route for synthesizing wafer-scale α-MnTe thin films and highlights their promise for altermagnet-based spintronics and magnetic sensing.
@article{arxiv.2602.11645,
title = {Epitaxial Growth and Anomalous Hall Effect in High-Quality Altermagnetic $\alpha$-MnTe Thin Films},
author = {Tian-Hao Shao and Xingze Dai and Wenyu Hu and Ming-Yuan Zhu and Yuanqiang He and Lin-He Yang and Jingjing Liu and Meng Yang and Xiang-Rui Liu and Jing-Jing Shi and Tian-Yi Xiao and Yu-Jie Hao and Xiao-Ming Ma and Yue Dai and Meng Zeng and Qinwu Gao and Gan Wang and Junxue Li and Chao Wang and Chang Liu},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2602.11645},
year = {2026}
}