Ambipolar transport in bulk crystals of a topological insulator by gating with ionic liquid

Kouji Segawa, Zhi Ren, Satoshi Sasaki, Tetsuya Tsuda, Susumu Kuwabata, Yoichi Ando

Published 2012-03-09, updated 2012-08-22Version 2

We report that the ionic-liquid gating of bulk single crystals of a topological insulator can control the type of the surface carriers and even results in ambipolar transport. This was made possible by the use of a highly bulk-insulating BiSbTeSe2 system where the chemical potential is located close to both the surface Dirac point and the middle of the bulk band gap. Thanks to the use of ionic liquid, the control of the surface chemical potential by gating was possible on the whole surface of a bulk three-dimensional sample, opening new experimental opportunities for topological insulators. In addition, our data suggest the existence of a nearly reversible electrochemical reaction that causes bulk carrier doping into the crystal during the ionic-liquid gating process.