Disorder-driven localization and electron interactions in Bix⁢ TeI thin films

Corbae, Paul; Taufertshöfer, Nicolai; Kennedy, Ellis; Scott, Mary; Hellman, Frances

doi:10.1103/physrevmaterials.8.044204

Title: Disorder-driven localization and electron interactions in Bi_x⁢ TeI thin films

Journal Article · 24 April 2024 · Physical Review Materials

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevmaterials.8.044204 · OSTI ID:2505098

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^[1]; Scott, Mary ^[1];

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University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Univ. of Wurzburg (Germany)

Strong disorder has a crucial effect on the electronic structure in quantum materials by increasing localization, interactions, and modifying the density of states. Bi_x TeI films grown at room temperature and 230 K exhibit dramatic magnetotransport effects due to disorder, localization, and electron correlation effects, including a metal-insulator transition at a composition that depends on growth temperature. The increased disorder caused by growth at 230 K causes the conductivity to decrease by several orders of magnitude for several compositions of Bi_x TeI. The transition from metal to insulator with decreasing composition x is accompanied by a decrease in the dephasing length, which leads to the disappearance of the weak-antilocalization effect. Electron-electron interactions cause low temperature conductivity corrections on the metallic side and Efros-Shklovskii variable range hopping on the insulating side, effects which are absent in single crystalline Bi_x TeI. Finally, the observation of a tunable metal-insulator transition and the associated strong localization and quantum effects in Bi_x TeI shows the possibility of tuning spin transport in quantum materials via disorder.

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division (MSE)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 2505098

Journal Information:: Physical Review Materials, Journal Name: Physical Review Materials Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 8; ISSN 2475-9953

Publisher:: American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Title: Disorder-driven localization and electron interactions in Bix⁢ TeI thin films

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Title: Disorder-driven localization and electron interactions in Bi_x⁢ TeI thin films