Dimensional crossover and topological nature of the thin films of a three-dimensional topological insulator by band gap engineering

Z Wang, T Zhou, T Jiang, H Sun, Y Zang, Y Gong… - Nano Letters, 2019 - ACS Publications
Z Wang, T Zhou, T Jiang, H Sun, Y Zang, Y Gong, J Zhang, M Tong, X Xie, Q Liu, C Chen…
Nano Letters, 2019ACS Publications
Identification and control of topological phases in topological thin films offer great
opportunities for fundamental research and the fabrication of topology-based devices. Here,
combining molecular beam epitaxy, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, and ab
initio calculations, we investigate the electronic structure evolution in (Bi1–x In x) 2Se3 films
(0≤ x≤ 1) with thickness from 2 to 13 quintuple layers. By employing both thickness and In
substitution as two independent “knobs” to control the gap change, we identify the evolution …
Identification and control of topological phases in topological thin films offer great opportunities for fundamental research and the fabrication of topology-based devices. Here, combining molecular beam epitaxy, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, and ab initio calculations, we investigate the electronic structure evolution in (Bi1–xInx)2Se3 films (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) with thickness from 2 to 13 quintuple layers. By employing both thickness and In substitution as two independent “knobs” to control the gap change, we identify the evolution between several topological phases, i.e., dimensional crossover from a three-dimensional topological insulator to its two-dimensional counterpart with gapped surface state, and topological phase transition from a topological insulator to a normal semiconductor with increasing In concentration. Furthermore, by introducing In substitution, we experimentally demonstrated the trivial topological nature of Bi2Se3 thin films (below 6 quintuple layers) as two-dimensional gapped systems, consistent with our theoretical calculations. Our results provide not only a comprehensive phase diagram of (Bi1–xInx)2Se3 and a route to control its phase evolution but also a practical way to experimentally determine the topological properties of a gapped compound by a topological phase transition and band gap engineering.
ACS Publications