Topological Surface State Annihilation and Creation in SnTe/Crx(BiSb)2–xTe3 Heterostructures

Published

July 19, 2022

Author(s)

Peng Deng, Alexander Grutter, Yulei Han, Megan E. Holtz, Peng Zhang, Patrick Quarterman, Shuaihang Pan, Shifei Qi, Zhenhua Qiao, Kang L. Wang

Abstract

Topological surface states are a new class of electronic states with novel properties, including the potential for annihilation between surface states from two topological insulators at a common interface. Here, we report the annihilation and creation of topological surface states in the SnTe/Crx(BiSb)2–xTe3 (CBST) heterostructures as evidenced by magneto-transport, polarized neutron reflectometry, and first-principles calculations. Our results show that topological surface states are induced in the otherwise topologically trivial two-quintuple-layers thick CBST when interfaced with SnTe, as a result of the surface state annihilation at the SnTe/CBST interface. Moreover, we unveiled systematic changes in the transport behaviors of the heterostructures with respect to changing Fermi level and thickness. Our observation of surface state creation and annihilation demonstrates a promising way of designing and engineering topological surface states for dissipationless electronics.

Citation

Nano Letters

Volume

22

Issue

14

Pub Type

Journals

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DOI Link

Keywords

Topology, Magnetism, Thin Films, Surface, Interface, Condensed Matter Phyisics

Citation

Deng, P. , Grutter, A. , Han, Y. , Holtz, M. , Zhang, P. , Quarterman, P. , Pan, S. , Qi, S. , Qiao, Z. and Wang, K. (2022), Topological Surface State Annihilation and Creation in SnTe/Crx(BiSb)2–xTe3 Heterostructures, Nano Letters, [online], https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c00774 (Accessed March 13, 2025)