Plasmon-enhanced electron-phonon coupling in Dirac surface states of the thin-film topological insulator Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3}
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506-6315 (United States)
Raman measurements of a Fano-type surface phonon mode associated with Dirac surface states (SS) in Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3} topological insulator thin films allowed an unambiguous determination of the electron-phonon coupling strength in Dirac SS as a function of film thickness ranging from 2 to 40 nm. A non-monotonic enhancement of the electron-phonon coupling strength with maximum for the 8–10 nm thick films was observed. The non-monotonicity is suggested to originate from plasmon-phonon coupling which enhances electron-phonon coupling when free carrier density in Dirac SS increases with decreasing film thickness and becomes suppressed for thinnest films when anharmonic coupling between in-plane and out-of-plane phonon modes occurs. The observed about four-fold enhancement of electron-phonon coupling in Dirac SS of the 8–10 nm thick Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3} films with respect to the bulk samples may provide new insights into the origin of superconductivity in this-type materials and their applications.
- OSTI ID:
- 22492797
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 118, Issue 13; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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