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- Title
Transforming Common III-V and II-VI Semiconductor Compounds into Topological Heterostructures: The Case of CdTe/InSb Superlattices.
- Authors
Liu, Qihang; Zhang, Xiuwen; Abdalla, L. B.; Zunger, Alex
- Abstract
Currently, known topological insulators (TIs) are limited to narrow gap compounds incorporating heavy elements, thus severely limiting the material pool available for such applications. It is shown via first-principle calculations that a heterovalent superlattice made of common semiconductor building blocks can transform its non-TI components into a topological nanostructure, illustrated by III-V/II-VI superlattice InSb/CdTe. The heterovalent nature of such interfaces sets up, in the absence of interfacial atomic exchange, a natural internal electric field that along with the quantum confinement leads to band inversion, transforming these semiconductors into a topological phase while also forming a giant Rashba spin splitting. The relationship between the interfacial stability and the topological transition is revealed, finding a 'window of opportunity' where both conditions can be optimized. Once a critical InSb layer thickness above ≈1.5 nm is reached, both [111] and [100] superlattices have a relative energy of 1.7-9.5 meV Å-2, higher than that of the atomically exchanged interface and an excitation gap up to ≈150 meV, affording room-temperature quantum spin Hall effect in semiconductor superlattices. The understanding gained from this study could broaden the current, rather restricted repertoire of functionalities available from individual compounds by creating next-generation superstructured functional materials.
- Subjects
SEMICONDUCTOR materials; HETEROSTRUCTURES; TOPOLOGICAL insulators; QUANTUM spin Hall effect; QUANTUM confinement effects
- Publication
Advanced Functional Materials, 2016, Vol 26, Issue 19, p3259
- ISSN
1616-301X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1002/adfm.201505357