Quantum confined devices of three-dimensional topological insulators have been proposed to be promising and of great importance for studies of confined topological states and for applications in low energy-dissipative spintronics and quantum information processing. The absence of energy gap on the TI surface limits the experimental realization of a quantum confined system in three-dimensional topological insulators. This communication reports on the successful realization of single-electron transistor devices in Bi2Te3 nanoplates by state of the art nanofabrication techniques. Each device consists of a confined central island, two narrow constrictions that connect the central island to the source and drain, and surrounding gates. Low-temperature transport measurements demonstrate that the two narrow constrictions function as tunneling junctions and the device shows well-defined Coulomb current oscillations and Coulomb diamond shaped charge stability diagrams. This work provides a controllable and reproducible way to form quantum confined systems in three-dimensional topological insulators, which should greatly stimulate research towards confined topological states, low energy-dissipative devices and quantum information processing.
@article{arxiv.1909.00245,
title = {Single-Electron Transistor Made of a 3D Topological Insulator Nanoplate},
author = {Yumei Jing and Shaoyun Huang and Jinxiong Wu and Mengmeng Meng and Xiaobo Li and Yu Zhou and Hailin Peng and H. Q. Xu},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1909.00245},
year = {2019}
}