Parallel field magnetoresistance in topological insulator thin films

C. J. Lin*, X. Y. He, J. Liao, X. X. Wang, V. Sacksteder Iv, W. M. Yang, T. Guan, Q. M. Zhang, L. Gu, G. Y. Zhang, C. G. Zeng, X. Dai, K. H. Wu, Y. Q. Li

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Articlepeer-review

66 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We report that the finite thickness of three-dimensional topological insulator (TI) thin films produces an observable magnetoresistance (MR) in phase coherent transport in parallel magnetic fields. The MR data of Bi 2Se3 and (Bi1-xSbx) 2Te3 thin films are compared with existing theoretical models of parallel field magnetotransport. We conclude that the TI thin films bring parallel field transport into a unique regime in which the coupling of surface states to bulk and to opposite surfaces is indispensable for understanding the observed MR. The β parameter extracted from parallel field MR can in principle provide a figure of merit for searching TI compounds with more insulating bulk than existing materials.

Original languageEnglish
Article number041307
JournalPhysical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
Volume88
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 22 Jul 2013
Externally publishedYes

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