Designer Topological Insulators in Superlattices

Abstract

Gapless Dirac surface states are protected at the interface of topological and normal band insulators. In a binary superlattice bearing such interfaces, we establish that valley-dependent dimerization of symmetry-unrelated Dirac surface states can be exploited to induce topological quantum phase transitions. This mechanism leads to a rich phase diagram that allows us to design strong, weak, and crystalline topological insulators. Our ab initio simulations further demonstrate this mechanism in [111] and [110] superlattices of calcium and tin tellurides.

5 pages, 4 figures

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• From atomic layer to the bulk: low-temperature atomistic structure, ferroelectric and electronic properties of SnTe films
• Coupled-layer description of topological crystalline insulators
• Topological, Valleytronic, and Optical Properties of Monolayer PbS
• $(111)$ surface states of SnTe
• Room-Temperature Topological Phase Transition in Quasi-One-Dimensional Material Bi${}_4$I${}_4$
• Layered Topological Crystalline Insulators
• Topological phases of topological insulator thin films
• Topological states and phase transitions in Sb${}_2$Te${}_3$-GeTe multilayers
• Moiré super-lattice structures in kicked Bose-Einstein condensates
• Nano-mosaic of Topological Dirac States on the Surface of Pb5Bi24Se41 Observed by Nano-ARPES
• Topological Properties of SnSe/EuS and SnTe/CaTe Interfaces
• Topological junction states and their crystalline network in chiral-symmetric systems: application to graphene nanoribbons
• Interfacial-state coupling induced topological phase transitions in SnTe (110) thin film
• Building topological device through emerging robust helical surface states
• Engineering Dirac electrons emergent on the surface of a topological insulator