Ambipolar Electric Field Effect in Metallic Bi2Se3

Hadar Steinberg, Dillon R. Gardner, Young S. Lee, Pablo Jarillo-Herrero

Published 2010-03-16, updated 2010-09-13Version 2

Topological insulators (TIs) constitute a new class of materials with unique properties resulting from the relativistic-like character and topological protection of their surface states. Theory predicts these to exhibit a rich variety of physical phenomena such as anomalous magneto-electric coupling and Majorana excitations. Although TI surface states have been detected in Bi-based compounds by ARPES and STM techniques, electrical control over their density, required for most transport experiments, remains a challenge. Existing materials are heavily doped in the bulk, thus preventing electrical tunability of the surface states and their integration into topological quantum electronic devices. Here we show that electronic transport in metallic Bi2Se3 nanoscale devices can be controlled by tuning the surface density via the electric field effect. By choosing an appropriate high-k dielectric, we are able to shift the Fermi energy through the charge neutrality point of the surface states, resulting in ambipolar transport characteristics reminiscent of those observed in graphene. Combining magnetotransport, field effect, and geometry dependent experiments, we provide transport measurements of the surface state mobility, and identify likely scattering mechanisms by measuring its temperature dependence.