Relocation of the topological surface state of Bi${}_2$Se${}_3$ beneath the surface by Ag intercalation

Abstract

We studied the Ag-intercalated 3D topological insulator Bi${}_2$Se${}_3$ by scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, combined with a first principles calculations. We demonstrate that silver atoms deposited on the surface of Bi${}_2$Se${}_3$ are intercalated between the quintuple layer (QL) units of the crystal, causing a expansion of the van der Waals gaps and the detachment of topmost QLs from the bulk crystal. This leads to a relocation (in the real space) of the the topological state beneath the detached quintuple layers, accompanied by the emergence of parabolic and "M-shaped" trivial bands localized above the relocated topological states. These novel findings open a pathway to the engineering of Dirac fermions shielded from the ambient contamination and may facilitate the realization of fault-tolerant quantum devices.

5 pages, 4 figures