Metallic conductivity and weak antilocalization in Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 thin films

Abstract

Submicron thin films of Bi2Te2,7Se0,3 solid solution is synthesized by thermal vacuum evaporation. The films are then subjected to after-growth vacuum annealing and characterized using X-ray diffraction and confocal laser microscopy techniques. Electron transport in the synthesized films is studied over the temperature range of 1.4-300 K at magnetic fields up to 8 T. Electron localization due to electron-electron interaction, along with weak anti-localization effect at weak magnetic fields and temperatures below 8 K is observed. The latter effect is commonly encountered in thin films of topological insulators grown by molecular beam epitaxy and has therefore been ascribed to the manifestation of the topological surface states. Finally, phase coherence length is estimated.