Extraordinary Bulk Insulating Behavior in the Strongly Correlated Materials FeSi and FeSb$_2$

TL;DR

This study reveals that FeSi and FeSb$_2$ are highly effective bulk insulators with surface conductance, similar to topological Kondo insulators, making them promising for exploring correlated two-dimensional physics.

Contribution

The paper demonstrates unambiguous surface conductance and exponential bulk resistivity increase in FeSi and FeSb$_2$, establishing them as excellent bulk insulators with potential for 2D correlated physics research.

Findings

Surface conductance confirmed in FeSi and FeSb$_2$

Bulk resistivity increases exponentially by up to 9 orders of magnitude

Materials are ideal platforms for studying correlated 2D physics

Abstract

4$f$ electron-based topological Kondo insulators have long been researched for their potential to conduct electric current via protected surface states, while simultaneously exhibiting unusually robust insulating behavior in their interiors. To this end, we have investigated the electrical transport of the 3$d$-based correlated insulators FeSi and FeSb$_2$, which have exhibited enough similarities to their $f$ electron cousins to warrant investigation. By using a double-sided Corbino disk transport geometry, we show unambiguous evidence of surface conductance in both of these Fe-based materials. In addition, by using a 4-terminal Corbino inverted resistance technique, we extract the bulk resistivity as a function of temperature. Similar to topological Kondo insulator SmB$_6$, the bulk resistivity of FeSi and FeSb$_2$ are confirmed to exponentially increase by up to 9 orders of magnitude from room temperature to the lowest accessible temperature. This demonstrates that these materials are excellent bulk insulators, providing an ideal platform for studying correlated 2D physics.