Quantized Field-Effect Tunneling between Topological Edge or Interface States

We study the tunneling through a two-dimensional topological insulator with topologically protected edge states. It is shown that the tunneling probability can be quantized in a broad parameter range, 0 or 1, tuned by an applied transverse electric field. Based on this field-effect tunneling, we pro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2019-11, Vol.123 (20), p.206801-206801, Article 206801
Main Authors: Xu, Yong, Chen, Yan-Ru, Wang, Jun, Liu, Jun-Feng, Ma, Zhongshui
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Electric fields
Resistance
Semiconductor devices
Topological insulators
Topology
Transistors
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Summary:We study the tunneling through a two-dimensional topological insulator with topologically protected edge states. It is shown that the tunneling probability can be quantized in a broad parameter range, 0 or 1, tuned by an applied transverse electric field. Based on this field-effect tunneling, we propose two types of topological transistors based on helical edge or interface states of quantum spin Hall insulators separately. The quantized tunneling conductance is obtained and shown to be robust against nonmagnetic disorders. Usually, the topological transition is necessary in the operation of topological transistors. These findings provide a new strategy for the design of topological transistors without topological transitions.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.123.206801