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Topological surface states of Bi 2 Te 2 Se are robust against surface chemical modification
Author(s) -
Thomas Conor R.,
Sahasrabudhe Girija,
Kushwaha Satya Kumar,
Xiong Jun,
Cava Robert J.,
Schwartz Jeffrey
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
physica status solidi (rrl) – rapid research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.786
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1862-6270
pISSN - 1862-6254
DOI - 10.1002/pssr.201409408
Subject(s) - topological insulator , surface modification , surface states , topology (electrical circuits) , robustness (evolution) , materials science , amplitude , surface (topology) , nanotechnology , chemistry , physics , condensed matter physics , optics , geometry , mathematics , biochemistry , combinatorics , gene
The robustness of the Dirac‐like electronic states on the surfaces of topological insulators (TIs) during materials process‐ing is a prerequisite for their eventual device application. Here, the (001) cleavage surfaces of crystals of the topological insulator Bi 2 Te 2 Se (BTS) were subjected to several surface chemical modification procedures that are common for electronic materials. Through measurement of Shubnikov–de Hass (SdH) oscillations, which are the most sensitive measure of their quality, the surface states of the treated surfaces were compared to those of pristine BTS that had been exposed to ambient conditions. In each case – surface oxidation, deposition of thin layers of Ti or Zr oxides, or chemical modification of the surface oxides – the robustness of the topological surface electronic states was demonstrated by noting only very small changes in the frequency and amplitude of the SdH oscillations. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)