Absence of strong localization at low conductivity in the topological surface state of low disorder Sb2Te3

Abstract

We present low-temperature transport measurements of a gate-tunable thin film topological insulator system that features high mobility and low carrier density. Upon gate tuning to a regime around the charge neutrality point, we infer an absence of strong localization even at conductivities well below $e^2/h$, where two dimensional electron systems should conventionally scale to an insulating state. Oddly, in this regime the localization coherence peak lacks conventional temperature broadening, though its tails do change dramatically with temperature. Using a model with electron-impurity scattering, we extract values for the disorder potential and the hybridization of the top and bottom surface states.

6 pages, 4 figures, with 11 pages of supplementary information

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Cited by in corpus (5)

• Conductivity of two-dimensional narrow gap semiconductors subjected to strong Coulomb disorder
• Signatures of dephasing by mirror-symmetry breaking in weak-antilocalization magnetoresistance across the topological transition in Pb${}_{1-x}$Sn${}_x$Se
• Fractional AC Josephson effect in a topological insulator proximitized by a self-formed superconductor
• Conductivity of two-dimensional small gap semiconductors and topological insulators in strong Coulomb disorder
• Unlocking Hidden Spins in Centrosymmetric SnSe2 by Vacancy-Controlled Spin-Orbit Scattering