Designer topological insulator with enhanced gap and suppressed bulk conduction in Bi2Se3/Sb2Te3 ultra-short period superlattices

A novel approach to reduce bulk conductance by the use of short period superlattices (SL) of two alternating topological insulator layers is presented. Evidence for a superlattice gap enhancement (SGE) was obtained from the observed reduction of bulk background doping by more than one order of magnitude, from 1.2x1020 cm-3 to 8.5x1018 cm-3 as the period of Bi2Se3/Sb2Te3 SLs is decreased from 12 nm to 5 nm, respectively. Tight binding calculations show that in the very thin period regime, a significant SGE can be achieved by the appropriate choice of materials. The ultrathin SL of alternating Bi2Se3 and Sb2Te3 layers behaves as a new designer material with a bulk bandgap as much as 60% larger than the bandgap of the constituent layer with the largest bandgap, while retaining topological surface features. Analysis of the weak antilocalization (WAL) cusp evident in the low temperature magneto-conductance of a very thin period SL sample grown confirms that the top and bottom surfaces of the SL structure behave as Dirac surface states. This approach represents a promising and yet to be explored platform for building truly insulating bulk TIs.

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