Observation of Quantum Spin Hall States in InAs/GaSb Bilayers under Broken Time-Reversal Symmetry

TL;DR

This paper reports the observation of quantum spin Hall states in InAs/GaSb bilayers that remain robust under strong magnetic fields, indicating a new type of topological insulator protected by a spin Chern invariant.

Contribution

It demonstrates a topological phase in InAs/GaSb bilayers characterized by a spin Chern invariant that persists under broken time-reversal symmetry, a novel finding in topological materials.

Findings

Wide conductance plateaus of 2e2/h observed at high magnetic fields.

Persistence of edge states without transition to trivial insulator.

No bulk gap closing up to 8T magnetic field.

Abstract

Topological insulators (TIs) are a novel class of materials with nontrivial surface or edge states. Time-reversal symmetry (TRS) protected TIs are characterized by the Z2 topological invariant and their helical property becomes lost in an applied magnetic field. Currently there exist extensive efforts searching for TIs that are protected by symmetries other than TRS. Here we show, a topological phase characterized by a spin Chern topological invariant is realized in an inverted electron-hole bilayer engineered from indium arsenide-gallium antimonide (InAs/GaSb) semiconductors which retains robust helical edges under a strong magnetic field. Wide conductance plateaus of 2e2/h value are observed; they persist to 12T applied in-plane magnetic field without evidence for transition to a trivial insulator. In a perpendicular magnetic field up to 8T, there exists no signature to the bulk gap closing. While the Fermi energy remains inside the bulk gap, the longitudinal conductance increases from 2e2/h in strong magnetic fields suggesting a trend towards chiral edge transport. Our findings are first evidences for a quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulator protected by a spin Chern invariant. These results demonstrate that InAs/GaSb bilayers are a novel system for engineering the robust helical edge channels much needed for spintronics and for creating and manipulating Majorana particles in solid state.