Thickness-independent transport channels in topological insulator Bi(2)Se(3) thin films

Phys Rev Lett. 2012 Sep 14;109(11):116804. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.116804. Epub 2012 Sep 12.

Abstract

With high quality topological insulator Bi(2)Se(3) thin films, we report thickness-independent transport properties over wide thickness ranges. Conductance remained nominally constant as the sample thickness changed from 256 to ∼8 QL (where QL refers to quintuple layer, 1 QL≈1 nm). Two surface channels of very different behaviors were identified. The sheet carrier density of one channel remained constant at ∼3.0×10(13) cm(-2) down to 2 QL, while the other, which exhibited quantum oscillations, remained constant at ∼8×10(12) cm(-2) only down to ∼8 QL. The weak antilocalization parameters also exhibited similar thickness independence. These two channels are most consistent with the topological surface states and the surface accumulation layers, respectively.