In-situ strain tuning of the Dirac surface states in Bi2Se3 films

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that elastic strain can reversibly tune the Dirac surface states in Bi2Se3 topological insulator films, enabling controlled manipulation of their electronic properties through in-situ measurements.

Contribution

It introduces a method for in-situ, reversible strain tuning of topological surface states in Bi2Se3 films using flexible substrates and in-situ spectroscopy techniques.

Findings

Elastic strains up to 2.1% were achieved.

Reversible changes in topological surface states were observed.

Established a direct relationship between lattice strain and electronic structure.

Abstract

Elastic strain has the potential for a controlled manipulation of the band gap and spin-polarized Dirac states of topological materials, which can lead to pseudo-magnetic-field effects, helical flat bands and topological phase transitions. However, practical realization of these exotic phenomena is challenging and yet to be achieved. Here, we show that the Dirac surface states of the topological insulator Bi2Se3 can be reversibly tuned by an externally applied elastic strain. Performing in-situ x-ray diffraction and in-situ angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements during tensile testing of epitaxial Bi2Se3 films bonded onto a flexible substrate, we demonstrate elastic strains of up to 2.1% and quantify the resulting reversible changes in the topological surface state. Our study establishes the functional relationship between the lattice and electronic structures of Bi2Se3 and, more generally, demonstrates a new route toward momentum-resolved mapping of strain-induced band structure changes.