Dislocation conduction in Bi-Sb topological insulators

Abstract

Previous theoretical works have predicted that when a specific condition is satisfied, dislocations in three-dimensional topological insulators form one-dimensional gapless states, which are topologically protected against disorder scattering. Here, the predicted dislocation conduction is experimentally investigated in Bi-Sb topological insulators. High-density dislocations with the Burgers vector satisfying the conductivity condition are introduced into Bi-Sb single crystals by plastic deformation. Conductivity measurements for deformed and undeformed samples and those for the deformed samples in different orientations show excess conductivity due to dislocation conduction.