Stable topological insulators achieved using high energy electron beams

Lukas Zhao, Marcin Konczykowski, Haiming Deng, Inna Korzhovska, Milan Begliarbekov, Zhiyi Chen, Evangelos Papalazarou, Marino Marsi, Luca Perfetti, Andrzej Hruban, Agnieszka Wołoś and Lia Krusin-Elbaum ()
Additional contact information
Lukas Zhao: The City College of New York, CUNY
Marcin Konczykowski: Laboratoire des Solides Irradiés, École Polytechnique, CNRS, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay
Haiming Deng: The City College of New York, CUNY
Inna Korzhovska: The City College of New York, CUNY
Milan Begliarbekov: The City College of New York, CUNY
Zhiyi Chen: The City College of New York, CUNY
Evangelos Papalazarou: Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud
Marino Marsi: Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud
Luca Perfetti: Laboratoire des Solides Irradiés, École Polytechnique, CNRS, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay
Andrzej Hruban: Institute of Electronic Materials Technology
Agnieszka Wołoś: Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences
Lia Krusin-Elbaum: The City College of New York, CUNY

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Topological insulators are potentially transformative quantum solids with metallic surface states which have Dirac band structure and are immune to disorder. Ubiquitous charged bulk defects, however, pull the Fermi energy into the bulk bands, denying access to surface charge transport. Here we demonstrate that irradiation with swift (∼2.5 MeV energy) electron beams allows to compensate these defects, bring the Fermi level back into the bulk gap and reach the charge neutrality point (CNP). Controlling the beam fluence, we tune bulk conductivity from p- (hole-like) to n-type (electron-like), crossing the Dirac point and back, while preserving the Dirac energy dispersion. The CNP conductance has a two-dimensional character on the order of ten conductance quanta and reveals, both in Bi2Te3 and Bi2Se3, the presence of only two quantum channels corresponding to two topological surfaces. The intrinsic quantum transport of the topological states is accessible disregarding the bulk size.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10957

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