MatWerk: Topological Insulator Properties of Phase Change Alloys and Heavy Metal Graphene

Pauly, Christian

Christian Pauly demonstrates the strong topological properties of the technologically relevant phase change materials Sb₂Te₃ and Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ by using two powerful techniques for mapping the surface electronic structure: scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). In the case of a phase change material, this opens up the possibility of switching between an insulating amorphous and a conducting topological phase on nanosecond-time scales. Moreover, the author presents first experimental results of a weak topological insulator, namely on the bismuth-based graphene-like sheet system Bi₁₄Rh₃I₉, revealing a topologically protected one-dimensional edge channel as its fingerprint. The edge state is as narrow as 0.8 nm, making it extremely attractive to device physics. Those strong and weak topological insulators are a new phase of quantum matter giving rise to robust boundary states which are protected from backscattering and localization.

Details

Published by: Springer

Publication Date: 2016-01-30

Format: Paperback

ISBN-13: 9783658118105

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-11811-2

Dimensions: 210cm x148cm

Pages: 166