This article is cited in 27 papers

REVIEWS OF TOPICAL PROBLEMS

Topological insulators based on HgTe

Z. D. Kvon^ab, D. A. Kozlov^ab, E. B. Olshanetsky^a, G. M. Gusev^c, N. N. Mikhailov^a, S. A. Dvoretsky<sup>a

a</sup> Rzhanov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk
^b Novosibirsk State University
^c Instituto de Fisica da Universidade de São Paulo

Abstract: The most interesting experimental results obtained in studies of 2D and 3D topological insulators (TIs) based on HgTe quantum wells and films are reviewed. In the case of 2D TIs, these include the observation of nonlocal ballistic and diffusion transport, the magnetic breakdown of 2D TIs, and an anomalous temperature dependence of edge-channel resistance. In 3D TIs, a record-setting high mobility (up to $5\times10^{5} \rm ~cm^2~V^{-1}~s^{-1}$) of surface two-dimensional Dirac fermions (DFs) has been attained. This enabled determining all the main TI parameters (the bulk gap and the density of DFs on both of its surfaces) and provided information on the phase of the Shubnikov–de Haas oscillations of DFs, which indicates the rigid topological coupling between the fermion spin and momentum. Prospects for further research are discussed in the conclusion.

Keywords: topological insulators, edge state transport, quantum well, inverted energy spectrum.

PACS: 73.43.Qt, 73.63.Hs

Received: May 13, 2019
Revised: September 25, 2019
Accepted: October 4, 2019

DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.2019.10.038669

 English version: Physics–Uspekhi, 2020, 63:7, 629–647

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