Proximity induced topological state in graphene

Abstract

The appearance of topologically protected states at the surface of an ordinary insulator is a rare occurrence and to date only a handful of materials are known for having this property. An intriguing question concerns the possibility of forming topologically protected interfaces between different materials. Here we propose that a topological phase can be transferred to graphene by proximity with the three-dimensional topological insulator Bi${}_2$Se${}_3$. By using density functional and transport theory we prove that, at the verge of the chemical bond formation, a hybrid state forms at the graphene/Bi${}_2$Se${}_3$ interface. The state has Dirac-cone-like dispersion at the $\Gamma$ point and a well-defined helical spin-texture, indicating its topologically protected nature. This demonstrates that proximity can transfer the topological phase from Bi${}_2$Se${}_3$ to graphene.

6 pages, 4 figures

References in corpus (12)

• Topological Insulators
• Quantum Spin Hall Effect in Graphene
• Quantum Spin Hall Insulator State in HgTe Quantum Wells
• Van der Waals Density Functional for General Geometries
• Gauge fields in graphene
• Angle Dependent Van Hove Singularities in Slightly Twisted Graphene Bilayer
• Fermi Level Tuning of Epitaxial Sb2Te3 Thin Films on Graphene by Regulating Intrinsic Defects and Substrate Transfer Doping
• Topological insulator Bi2Se3 thin films grown on double-layer graphene by molecular beam epitaxy
• Robustness of topologically protected surface states in layering of Bi2Te3 thin films
• Graphene-based topological insulator with an intrinsic bulk band gap above room temperature
• Magneto-optical and Magneto-electric Effects of Topological Insulators in Quantizing Magnetic Fields
• Marginal topological properties of graphene: a comparison with topological insulators

Cited by in corpus (7)

• Spin Proximity Effects in Graphene/Topological Insulator Heterostructures
• Current-induced spin polarization in topological insulator-graphene heterostructures
• Heterostructures of graphene and topological insulators Bi${}_2$Se${}_3$, Bi${}_2$Te${}_3$, and Sb${}_2$Te${}_3$
• Twist-angle dependent proximity induced spin-orbit coupling in graphene/topological insulator heterostructures
• Proximity-Induced Spin-Orbit Coupling in Graphene-Bi${}_{1.5}$Sb${}_{0.5}$Te${}_{1.7}$Se${}_{1.3}$ Heterostructures
• High density carriers at a strongly coupled graphene-topological insulator interface
• Photoprotected spin Hall effect on graphene with substrate induced Rashba spin-orbit coupling