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Title: Anomalous helicity-dependent photocurrent in the topological insulator ( Bi 0.5 Sb 0.5 ) 2 Te 3 on a GaAs substrate [Spin manipulation at the interface of a topological insulator and a non-magnetic semiconductor]

Abstract

We present that the emerging material, topological insulator, has provided new opportunities for spintronic applications, owing to its strong spin-orbit character. Topological insulator based heterostructures that display spin-charge coupling driven by topology at surfaces have great potential for the realization of novel spintronic devices. Here, we report the observation of anomalous photogalvanic effect in (Bi0.5Sb0.5)2Te3 thin films grown on GaAs substrate. We demonstrate that the magnitude, direction, and temperature dependence of the helicity-dependent photocurrent (HDPC) can be modulated by the gate voltage. From spatially resolved photocurrent measurements, we show that the line profile of HDPC in (Bi0.5Sb0.5)2Te3/GaAs is unaffected by the variation of beam size, in contrast to the photocurrent response measured in a (Bi0.5Sb0.5)2Te3/mica structure.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [1]
  1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
  2. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Department of Electrical Engineering
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
OSTI Identifier:
1458665
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1417929
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-697157
Journal ID: ISSN 2469-9950; PRBMDO; 827767; TRN: US1901495
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC52-07NA27344; 15-LW-018; 16-SI-004
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Physical Review B
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 97; Journal Issue: 4; Journal ID: ISSN 2469-9950
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE

Citation Formats

Qu, Dong-Xia, Che, Xiaoyu, Kou, Xufeng, Pan, Lei, Crowhurst, Jonathan, Armstrong, Michael R., Dubois, Jonathan, Wang, Kang L., and Chapline, George F. Anomalous helicity-dependent photocurrent in the topological insulator (Bi0.5Sb0.5)2Te3 on a GaAs substrate [Spin manipulation at the interface of a topological insulator and a non-magnetic semiconductor]. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.97.045308.
Qu, Dong-Xia, Che, Xiaoyu, Kou, Xufeng, Pan, Lei, Crowhurst, Jonathan, Armstrong, Michael R., Dubois, Jonathan, Wang, Kang L., & Chapline, George F. Anomalous helicity-dependent photocurrent in the topological insulator (Bi0.5Sb0.5)2Te3 on a GaAs substrate [Spin manipulation at the interface of a topological insulator and a non-magnetic semiconductor]. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.97.045308
Qu, Dong-Xia, Che, Xiaoyu, Kou, Xufeng, Pan, Lei, Crowhurst, Jonathan, Armstrong, Michael R., Dubois, Jonathan, Wang, Kang L., and Chapline, George F. Wed . "Anomalous helicity-dependent photocurrent in the topological insulator (Bi0.5Sb0.5)2Te3 on a GaAs substrate [Spin manipulation at the interface of a topological insulator and a non-magnetic semiconductor]". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.97.045308. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1458665.
@article{osti_1458665,
title = {Anomalous helicity-dependent photocurrent in the topological insulator (Bi0.5Sb0.5)2Te3 on a GaAs substrate [Spin manipulation at the interface of a topological insulator and a non-magnetic semiconductor]},
author = {Qu, Dong-Xia and Che, Xiaoyu and Kou, Xufeng and Pan, Lei and Crowhurst, Jonathan and Armstrong, Michael R. and Dubois, Jonathan and Wang, Kang L. and Chapline, George F.},
abstractNote = {We present that the emerging material, topological insulator, has provided new opportunities for spintronic applications, owing to its strong spin-orbit character. Topological insulator based heterostructures that display spin-charge coupling driven by topology at surfaces have great potential for the realization of novel spintronic devices. Here, we report the observation of anomalous photogalvanic effect in (Bi0.5Sb0.5)2Te3 thin films grown on GaAs substrate. We demonstrate that the magnitude, direction, and temperature dependence of the helicity-dependent photocurrent (HDPC) can be modulated by the gate voltage. From spatially resolved photocurrent measurements, we show that the line profile of HDPC in (Bi0.5Sb0.5)2Te3/GaAs is unaffected by the variation of beam size, in contrast to the photocurrent response measured in a (Bi0.5Sb0.5)2Te3/mica structure.},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevB.97.045308},
journal = {Physical Review B},
number = 4,
volume = 97,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jan 24 00:00:00 EST 2018},
month = {Wed Jan 24 00:00:00 EST 2018}
}

Journal Article:

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Cited by: 9 works
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Figures / Tables:

FIG. 1 FIG. 1: Sample geometry and results of scanning photocurrent measurements. (a) Schematic of the experimental geometry. (b) The optical image of a representative BST/GaAs sample patterned into a Hall bar structure. The red (black) triangle marks the laser excitation position in sample G1 (M1) with the corresponding Jy/I shown inmore » panel c (panel d). (c-d) Jy/I versus photon polarization for sample G1 at y = −65 µm (c) and sample M1 at y = −36 µm (d). The polarization of the light is modulated with a period from right-circularly polarized Ω−, to linearly polarized↔, to left-circularly polarized Ω+, and back to linearly polarized↔. The solid green lines are fits as explained in text. The solid blue curve is extracted circular photocurrent component JC = C sin 2α. (e-f) Scanning photocurrent images for sample G1 (e) and M1 (f) under linearly polarized light. Dashed and solid lines indicate the edges of the sample and electrodes. (g) Spatial profiles of JC /I along y axis for samples G1, M1, and G2 at room temperature.« less

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Figures/Tables have been extracted from DOE-funded journal article accepted manuscripts.