Engineering topological surface-states: HgS, HgSe and HgTe

Abstract

Using density functional electronic structure calculations, we establish the consequences of surface termination and modification on protected surface-states of metacinnabar (beta-HgS). Whereas we find that the Dirac cone is isotropic and well-separated from the valence band for the (110) surface, it is highly anisotropic at the pure (001) surface. We demonstrate that the anisotropy is modified by surface passivation because the topological surface-states include contributions from dangling bonds. Such dangling bonds exist on all pure surfaces within the whole class HgX with X = S, Se, or Te and directly affect the properties of the Dirac cone. Surface modifications also alter the spatial location (depth and decay length) of the topologically protected edge-states which renders them essential for the interpretation of photoemission data.

5 pages, 4 figures

References in corpus (7)

• Quantum Spin Hall Effect and Topological Phase Transition in HgTe Quantum Wells
• Quantum Spin Hall Insulator State in HgTe Quantum Wells
• Discovery (theoretical prediction and experimental observation) of a large-gap topological-insulator class with spin-polarized single-Dirac-cone on the surface
• A topological Dirac insulator in a quantum spin Hall phase : Experimental observation of first strong topological insulator
• The Helical Liquid and the Edge of Quantum Spin Hall Systems
• Control over topological insulator photocurrents with light polarization
• Spin-Charge Locking and Tunneling into a Helical Metal

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• Spin Texture and Mirror Chern number in Hg-Based Chalcogenides
• The band-gap of Tl-doped gallium nitride alloys
• Transforming a Surface State of Topological Insulator by a Bi Capping Layer
• Surface-state spin textures in strained bulk HgTe: strain-induced topological phase transitions
• Absence of helical surface states in bulk semimetals with broken inversion symmetry
• Disorder-induced topological phase transition in HgCdTe crystals
• Strong Anisotropy of Dirac Cone in SrMnBi2 and CaMnBi2 Revealed by Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy