Thermoelectric properties of 3D topological insulator: Direct observation of topological surface and its gap opened states

The recent discovery of the interfacial superconductivity (SC) of the Bi2Te3/Fe1+yTe heterostructure has attracted extensive studies due to its potential as a novel platform for trapping and controlling Majorana fermions. Here we present studies of another topological insulator (TI)/Fe1+yTe heterostructure, Sb2Te3/Fe1+yTe, which also has an interfacial 2-dimensional SC. The results of transport measurements support that reduction of the excess Fe concentration of the Fe1+yTe layer not only increases the fluctuation of its antiferromagnetic (AFM) order but also enhances the quality of the SC of this heterostructure system. On the other hand, the interfacial SC of this heterostructure was found to have a wider-ranging TI-layer thickness dependence than that of the Bi2Te3/Fe1+yTe heterostructure, which is believed to be attributed to the much higher bulk conductivity of Sb2Te3that enhances indirect coupling between its top and bottom topological surface states (TSSs). Our results provide evidence of the interplay among the AFM order, itinerant carries from the TSSs, and the induced interfacial SC of the TI/Fe1+yTe heterostructure system.

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Single Dirac Cone Topological Surface State and Unusual Thermoelectric Property of Compounds from a New Topological Insulator Family

Physical Review Letters ◽

10.1103/physrevlett.105.266401 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 105 (26) ◽

Cited By ~ 160

Author(s):

Y. L. Chen ◽

Z. K. Liu ◽

J. G. Analytis ◽

J.-H. Chu ◽

H. J. Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thermoelectric Property ◽

Topological Insulator ◽

Surface State ◽

Dirac Cone ◽

Topological Surface ◽

Topological Surface State

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Thermoelectric properties of topological insulator lanthanum phosphide via first-principles study

Journal of Applied Physics ◽

10.1063/1.5043170 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 125 (4) ◽

pp. 045107 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Yu Zhou ◽

Wang-Li Tao ◽

Zhao-Yi Zeng ◽

Xiang-Rong Chen ◽

Qi-Feng Chen

Keyword(s):

Thermoelectric Properties ◽

Topological Insulator ◽

First Principles ◽

First Principles Study

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Publisher's Note: Extremely large nonsaturating magnetoresistance and ultrahigh mobility due to topological surface states in the metallic Bi2Te3 topological insulator [Phys. Rev. B 95 , 195113 (2017)]

Physical Review B ◽

10.1103/physrevb.95.239901 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 95 (23) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

K. Shrestha ◽

M. Chou ◽

D. Graf ◽

H. D. Yang ◽

B. Lorenz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Topological Insulator ◽

Surface States ◽

Topological Surface

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Manifestation of axion electrodynamics through magnetic ordering on edges of a topological insulator

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1515664112 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 112 (37) ◽

pp. 11514-11518 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Yea-Lee Lee ◽

Hee Chul Park ◽

Jisoon Ihm ◽

Young-Woo Son

Keyword(s):

Electric Field ◽

Topological Insulator ◽

Time Reversal ◽

First Principles ◽

Surface States ◽

Magnetic Ordering ◽

Crystal Face ◽

Magnetic Dipoles ◽

Topological Surface ◽

The Difference

Because topological surface states of a single-crystal topological insulator can exist on all surfaces with different crystal orientations enclosing the crystal, mutual interactions among those states contiguous to each other through edges can lead to unique phenomena inconceivable in normal insulators. Here we show, based on a first-principles approach, that the difference in the work function between adjacent surfaces with different crystal-face orientations generates a built-in electric field around facet edges of a prototypical topological insulator such as Bi2Se3. Owing to the topological magnetoelectric coupling for a given broken time-reversal symmetry in the crystal, the electric field, in turn, forces effective magnetic dipoles to accumulate along the edges, realizing the facet-edge magnetic ordering. We demonstrate that the predicted magnetic ordering is in fact a manifestation of the axion electrodynamics in real solids.

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