Transport gap in SmB₆ protected against disorder

The inverted resistance method was used in this study to extend the bulk resistivity of SmB₆ to a regime where the surface conduction overwhelms the bulk. Remarkably, regardless of the large off-stoichiometric growth conditions (inducing disorder by samarium vacancies, boron interstitials, etc.), th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2019-06, Vol.116 (26), p.12638-12641
Main Authors: Eo, Yun Suk, Rakoski, Alexa, Lucien, Juniar, Mihaliov, Dmitri, Kurdak, Çağlıyan, Rosa, Priscila F. S., Fisk, Zachary
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Boron
Conduction
Electrical resistivity
Growth conditions
Interstitials
Physical Sciences
Samarium
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Summary:The inverted resistance method was used in this study to extend the bulk resistivity of SmB₆ to a regime where the surface conduction overwhelms the bulk. Remarkably, regardless of the large off-stoichiometric growth conditions (inducing disorder by samarium vacancies, boron interstitials, etc.), the bulk resistivity shows an intrinsic thermally activated behavior that changes ∼7–10 orders of magnitude, suggesting that SmB₆ is an ideal insulator that is immune to disorder.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1901245116