Observation of Anderson localization in ultrathin films of three-dimensional topological insulators

Abstract

Anderson localization, the absence of diffusive transport in disordered systems, has been manifested as hopping transport in numerous electronic systems, whereas in recently discovered topological insulators it has not been directly observed. Here we report experimental demonstration of transition from diffusive transport in the weak antilocalization regime to variable range hopping transport in the Anderson localization regime with ultrathin (Bi${}_{1-x}$Sb${}_x$)${}_2$Te${}_3$ films. As disorder becomes stronger, negative magnetoconductivity due to the weak antilocalization is gradually suppressed, and eventually positive magnetoconductivity emerges when the electron system becomes strongly localized. This works reveals the critical role of disorder in the quantum transport properties of ultrathin topological insulator films, in which theories have predicted rich physics related to topological phase transitions.

arXiv comment6 pages, 4 figures, to appear in PRL, supplemental material available upon request

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• Large-Area and Transferred High-Quality Three-Dimensional Topological Insulator Bi2-xSbxTe3-ySey Ultrathin Film by Catalyst-Free Physical Vapor Deposition
• Disorder Effects in Topological States -- Brief Review of the Recent Developments
• Evidence for exchange Dirac gap in magneto-transport of topological insulator-magnetic insulator heterostructures
• Large and Robust Charge-to-Spin Conversion in Sputtered Conductive WTex with Disorder
• Tuning insulator-semimetal transitions in 3D topological insulator thin films by inter-surface hybridization and in-plane magnetic fields
• Experimental Evidence of the Topological Surface States in Mg3Bi2 Films Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy
• Observation of multichannel quantum coherent transport and electron-electron interaction in Bi2Te3 single crystal
• Disorder-driven topological phase transition in Bi2Se3 films
• Spin-dependent scattering induced negative magnetoresistance in topological insulator Bi2Te3 nanowires
• Magnetic-field-induced topological phase transition in Fe-doped (Bi,Sb)${}_2$Se${}_3$ heterostructures
• Anderson localization of two-dimensional massless pseudospin-1 Dirac particles in a correlated random one-dimensional scalar potential
• Spatially varying electronic dephasing in three dimensional topological insulators
• Absence of strong localization at low conductivity in the topological surface state of low disorder Sb2Te3
• Topological insulators in random potentials
• Topological Phase Transitions Induced by Disorder in Magnetically Doped (Bi, Sb)${}_2$Te${}_3$ Thin Films
• Enhanced coherence and decoupled surface states in topological insulators through structural disorder
• Reversible and nonvolatile manipulation of the spin-orbit interaction in ferroelectric field-effect transistors based on a two-dimensional bismuth oxychalcogenide
• Transport of Dirac electrons in a random magnetic field in topological heterostructures
• Identifying the fingerprints of topological states by tuning magnetoresistance in a semimetal: the case of topological half-Heusler Pt1-xAuxLuSb
• Accessing topological surface states and negative MR in sculpted nanowires of Bi2Te3 at ultra-low temperature
• Probing Electron Localization and Delocalization in the Selective Long-Range Tight-Binding Model
• Weak localization effect in topological insulator micro flakes grown on insulating ferrimagnet BaFe12O19
• Correlated disorder induced anomalous transport in magnetically doped topological insulators
• Robust topological insulator surface state in MBE grown (Bi_{1-x}Sb_x)_2Se_3