Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect in $d^{10}$ Oxide Monolayers

Abstract

Quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) arises from the interplay between magnetic order and spin-orbit coupling, which opens up a topologically nontrivial band gap to host chiral edge states in the absence of magnetic field. So far, magnetic order of QAHE usually originates from partially filled transition-metal $d$ orbitals or correlation-driven moiré bands. Here, we propose an experimentally accessible family of two-dimensional oxides, M${}_2$DO${}_6$ (M = Zn, Cd; D = Se, Te), that can realize QAHE from the half-filled O-$2p$ orbital induced spontaneous ferromagnetism. In M${}_2$DO${}_6$ monolayers, spin-polarized Dirac points appear at K/K${}^{\prime }$ valleys and along $\Gamma$-K/$\Gamma$-K${}^{\prime }$ lines. $C_3$ rotational symmetry then generates eight symmetry-related crossings in the first Brillouin zone. Upon gap opening by spin-orbit coupling, each massive Dirac point contributes half Chern number, resulting in a high-Chern-number QAHE phase with $\mathcal{C}=4$. We establish cation deintercalation as a general strategy to activate O-$2p$ ferromagnetism in oxides. Our finding provides a route to realize QAHE from O-$2p$ ferromagnetism and offers design principles applicable to oxygen-based magnetic topology platforms beyond conventional $d$-electron systems.