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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2025
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.04042 |
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| _version_ | 1866915478821142528 |
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| author | Liu, Tengfei Hong, Xiyu Li, Zhe Chen, Shenzhong Li, Leyi Tang, Xin-Yi Cheng, Shuying Lai, Yunfeng Chen, Yonghai Diao, Zhu He, Ke Xue, Qi-kun Yu, Jinling |
| author_facet | Liu, Tengfei Hong, Xiyu Li, Zhe Chen, Shenzhong Li, Leyi Tang, Xin-Yi Cheng, Shuying Lai, Yunfeng Chen, Yonghai Diao, Zhu He, Ke Xue, Qi-kun Yu, Jinling |
| contents | $α$-Sn exhibits a rich topological phase diagram, yet experimental methods to tune and distinguish these phases remain limited. Here, we investigated the helicity-dependent photocurrent (HDPC) in $α$-Sn films of varying thickness grown on CdTe(110) by molecular beam epitaxy. The HDPC of the 5 nm $α$-Sn film shows an odd-function dependence on incident angle, whereas that of the 10 and 30 nm films exhibit an even-function dependence. Combined with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), point-group symmetry analysis, and first-principles calculations, it is revealed that a thickness-driven topological phase transition from a two dimensional (2D) to a three dimensional (3D) topological insulator occurs between 5 and 10 nm. These results demonstrate that HDPC serves as a sensitive diagnostic tool for topological phase transitions. The tunable electronic properties of $α$-Sn(110) films enable thickness- and strain-mediated control of topological states, establishing a versatile platform for exploring emerging topological phenomena and developing spin-based devices. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_04042 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Thickness-Induced Topological Phase Transition Investigated by Helicity Dependent Photocurrent in $α$-Sn/CdTe(110) Liu, Tengfei Hong, Xiyu Li, Zhe Chen, Shenzhong Li, Leyi Tang, Xin-Yi Cheng, Shuying Lai, Yunfeng Chen, Yonghai Diao, Zhu He, Ke Xue, Qi-kun Yu, Jinling Materials Science Optics $α$-Sn exhibits a rich topological phase diagram, yet experimental methods to tune and distinguish these phases remain limited. Here, we investigated the helicity-dependent photocurrent (HDPC) in $α$-Sn films of varying thickness grown on CdTe(110) by molecular beam epitaxy. The HDPC of the 5 nm $α$-Sn film shows an odd-function dependence on incident angle, whereas that of the 10 and 30 nm films exhibit an even-function dependence. Combined with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), point-group symmetry analysis, and first-principles calculations, it is revealed that a thickness-driven topological phase transition from a two dimensional (2D) to a three dimensional (3D) topological insulator occurs between 5 and 10 nm. These results demonstrate that HDPC serves as a sensitive diagnostic tool for topological phase transitions. The tunable electronic properties of $α$-Sn(110) films enable thickness- and strain-mediated control of topological states, establishing a versatile platform for exploring emerging topological phenomena and developing spin-based devices. |
| title | Thickness-Induced Topological Phase Transition Investigated by Helicity Dependent Photocurrent in $α$-Sn/CdTe(110) |
| topic | Materials Science Optics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.04042 |