Charging Dirac States at Antiphase Domain Boundaries in the Three-Dimensional Topological Insulator Bi2Se3

Y. Liu, Y. Y. Li, D. Gilks, V. K. Lazarov, M. Weinert, and L. Li
Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 186804 – Published 1 May 2013

Abstract

Using scanning tunneling microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, we demonstrate the existence of antiphase boundaries between neighboring grains shifted by a fraction of a quintuple layer in epitaxial (0001) films of the three-dimensional topological insulator Bi2Se3. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy and first-principles calculations reveal that these antiphase boundaries provide electrostatic fields on the order of 108V/m that locally charge the Dirac states, modulating the carrier density, and shift the Dirac point by up to 120 meV. This intrinsic electric field effect, demonstrated here near interfaces between Bi2Se3 grains, provides direct experimental evidence at the atomic scale that the Dirac states are indeed robust against extended structural defects and tunable by electric field. These results also shed light on the recent observation of coexistence of Dirac states and two-dimensional electron gas on Bi2Se3(0001) after adsorption of metal atoms and gas molecules.

  • Received 10 December 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.186804

© 2013 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Y. Liu1, Y. Y. Li1, D. Gilks2, V. K. Lazarov2, M. Weinert1, and L. Li1,*

  • 1Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, USA
  • 2Department of Physics, The University of York, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom

  • *lianli@uwm.edu

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Vol. 110, Iss. 18 — 3 May 2013

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