Quantum Confined Sb: An Elemental Topological Insulator

Sb is a bulk semi-metal which is predicted to undergo a series of quantum phase transitions from a topological semi-metal to a 3D topological insulator (TI) to a 2D TI to a trivial insulator as a function of decreasing film thickness. We report magneto-transport studies on Sb(111) epilayers with thicknesses ranging from 0.7 to 3.2 nm grown via molecular beam epitaxy on nearly lattice-matched GaSb(111) substrates. For thicknesses greater than 1nm the films are conducting with a non-zero intercept at zero film thickness, indicating residual surface conduction. Below 1nm, there is an abrupt transition to insulating behavior consistent with predictions of a topological to trivial insulator. We have studied the magneto-resistance (MR) up to 18T in both perpendicular and tilted magnetic fields for a range of temperatures. The angular MR indicates 2D transport. For (B>4T) the MR is increasingly linear as the film thickness is reduced while at lower fields the transport is well described by weak antilocalization (WAL). A straightforward model combing bulk behavior and WAL assists in explaining this thickness evolution. Experiments on quantum interference in quantum wires are ongoing.