Stacking-induced type-II quantum spin Hall insulators with high spin Chern number in unconventional magnetism

Abstract

While stacking two type-I quantum spin Hall insulators typically results in a trivial insulator, the behavior of the assembly of type-II quantum spin Hall insulators remains unexplored. In this article, based on calculations of a lattice model, we demonstrate that stacking two type-II quantum spin Hall insulators does not yield a trivial insulator but instead forms a nontrivial quantum spin Hall insulator with high spin Chern number. In this phase, two pairs of topological edge states with opposite chirality and polarization coexist at the boundary. Our calculations further reveal that the quantized spin Hall conductivity of the bilayer is twice that of the monolayer. When U(1) symmetry is present, the high spin Chern number phase remains stable; when U(1) symmetry is broken, it persists over a broad parameter range. Furthermore, based on first-principles electronic structure calculations, we demonstrate that bilayer Nb${}_2$SeTeO is a type-II quantum spin Hall insulator with a high spin Chern number in altermagnetism and unconventional compensated magnetism. Moreover, extending this strategy to multilayer stacks naturally leads to a quantum spin Hall insulator with a higher spin Chern number. Our work not only deepens the distinction between type-I and type-II quantum spin Hall insulators, but also offers a route toward realizing highly quantized spin Hall conductivity.

5 pages, 4 figures