Strain effects on in-plane conductance of the topological insulator Bi2Te3

Abstract

We investigated the correlation between electrical transport and mechanical stress in a topological insulator, Bi2Te3, using conductive probe atomic force microscopy in an ultrahigh vacuum environment. After directly measuring charge transport on the cleaved Bi2Te 3 surface, we found that the current density varied with applied load. Current mapping revealed a variation of the current on different terraces. The current density increased in the low-pressure regime and then decreased in the high-pressure regime. This variation of current density was explained in light of the combined effect of changes in the in-plane conductance due to spin-orbit coupling and hexagonal warping. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.