Regularities of the quantum spin Hall phase formation in three-dimensional tetradymite-like topological insulator thin films

We present first-principles calculations of electronic structure and topological properties of thin films of tetradymite-like binary, ternary, and quaternary compounds. Two-dimensional topological insulators were found, including two septuple layer films of PbBi2Te4 with large band gap. We demonstra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. B 2017-10, Vol.96 (16), Article 165441
Main Authors: Menshchikova, T. V., Silkina, O. Yu, Silkin, I. V., Kuznetsov, V. M., Chulkov, E. V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Crystal lattices
Crystal structure
Dependence
Electronic structure
Film thickness
First principles
Phase transitions
Thin films
Topological insulators
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Summary:We present first-principles calculations of electronic structure and topological properties of thin films of tetradymite-like binary, ternary, and quaternary compounds. Two-dimensional topological insulators were found, including two septuple layer films of PbBi2Te4 with large band gap. We demonstrate that the Pb-based thin films inherit Z2 dependence on the film thickness from the “parent” quintuple-layer compounds. An effective way to induce the topological phase transition in the trivial thin films is proposed that does not require substantial changes in the in–plane lattice parameter and surface crystal structure.
ISSN:2469-9950
2469-9969
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevB.96.165441