Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Observation of quantum-tunnelling-modulated spin texture in ultrathin topological insulator Bi2Se3 films.

Neupane, Madhab ; Richardella, Anthony ; Sánchez-Barriga, Jaime ; Xu, Suyang ; Alidoust, Nasser ; Belopolski, Ilya ; Liu, Chang ; Bian, Guang ; Zhang, Duming and Marchenko, Dmitry , et al. (2014) In Nature Communications 5.
Abstract
Understanding the spin-texture behaviour of boundary modes in ultrathin topological insulator films is critically essential for the design and fabrication of functional nanodevices. Here, by using spin-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with p-polarized light in topological insulator Bi2Se3 thin films, we report tunnelling-dependent evolution of spin configuration in topological insulator thin films across the metal-to-insulator transition. We report a systematic binding energy- and wavevector-dependent spin polarization for the topological surface electrons in the ultrathin gapped-Dirac-cone limit. The polarization decreases significantly with enhanced tunnelling realized systematically in thin insulating films, whereas magnitude of the... (More)
Understanding the spin-texture behaviour of boundary modes in ultrathin topological insulator films is critically essential for the design and fabrication of functional nanodevices. Here, by using spin-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with p-polarized light in topological insulator Bi2Se3 thin films, we report tunnelling-dependent evolution of spin configuration in topological insulator thin films across the metal-to-insulator transition. We report a systematic binding energy- and wavevector-dependent spin polarization for the topological surface electrons in the ultrathin gapped-Dirac-cone limit. The polarization decreases significantly with enhanced tunnelling realized systematically in thin insulating films, whereas magnitude of the polarization saturates to the bulk limit faster at larger wavevectors in thicker metallic films. We present a theoretical model that captures this delicate relationship between quantum tunnelling and Fermi surface spin polarization. Our high-resolution spin-based spectroscopic results suggest that the polarization current can be tuned to zero in thin insulating films forming the basis for a future spin-switch nanodevice. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and , et al. (More)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and (Less)
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Nature Communications
volume
5
article number
3841
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • pmid:24815418
  • wos:000337373500003
  • scopus:84900387221
  • pmid:24815418
ISSN
2041-1723
DOI
10.1038/ncomms4841
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
775a0ef2-4447-48e6-baf4-c4ec95544972 (old id 4455482)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 15:00:37
date last changed
2022-04-22 06:20:24
@article{775a0ef2-4447-48e6-baf4-c4ec95544972,
  abstract     = {{Understanding the spin-texture behaviour of boundary modes in ultrathin topological insulator films is critically essential for the design and fabrication of functional nanodevices. Here, by using spin-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with p-polarized light in topological insulator Bi2Se3 thin films, we report tunnelling-dependent evolution of spin configuration in topological insulator thin films across the metal-to-insulator transition. We report a systematic binding energy- and wavevector-dependent spin polarization for the topological surface electrons in the ultrathin gapped-Dirac-cone limit. The polarization decreases significantly with enhanced tunnelling realized systematically in thin insulating films, whereas magnitude of the polarization saturates to the bulk limit faster at larger wavevectors in thicker metallic films. We present a theoretical model that captures this delicate relationship between quantum tunnelling and Fermi surface spin polarization. Our high-resolution spin-based spectroscopic results suggest that the polarization current can be tuned to zero in thin insulating films forming the basis for a future spin-switch nanodevice.}},
  author       = {{Neupane, Madhab and Richardella, Anthony and Sánchez-Barriga, Jaime and Xu, Suyang and Alidoust, Nasser and Belopolski, Ilya and Liu, Chang and Bian, Guang and Zhang, Duming and Marchenko, Dmitry and Varykhalov, Andrei and Rader, Oliver and Leandersson, Mats and Thiagarajan, Balasubramanian and Chang, Tay-Rong and Jeng, Horng-Tay and Basak, Susmita and Lin, Hsin and Bansil, Arun and Samarth, Nitin and Hasan, M Zahid}},
  issn         = {{2041-1723}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Nature Communications}},
  title        = {{Observation of quantum-tunnelling-modulated spin texture in ultrathin topological insulator Bi2Se3 films.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms4841}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/ncomms4841}},
  volume       = {{5}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}