Compositional control of topological surface transport in In-doped SnTe thin films grown by sputtering

Le résumé fourni par la source

Topological crystalline insulators such as SnTe are promising for electronic and spintronic applications owing to their robust topological surface states; however, their practical utilization requires scalable fabrication methods and precise control of carrier transport. In this study, we investigated In-doped SnTe thin films fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering, a method compatible with industrial applications, to clarify the compositional regime in which weak anti-localization, consistent with topological surface transport, is observed. The stoichiometric non-doped SnTe films exhibited similar temperature dependences of channel weight and phase coherence length over a wide thickness range from 8 to 212 nm. Moreover, by varying the In concentration and cation–anion balance, we analyzed the relationships among composition, defect-related scattering, and phase-breaking processes in the coherent transport channels. Near-stoichiometric compositions are associated with reduced defect scattering, while In-doping is consistent with partial compensation of Sn vacancies, leading to a decrease in carrier density and a change in the dominant scattering mechanism. These results indicate that two-dimensional transport can be promoted in sputtered SnTe films. This study provides compositional considerations and a transport-based approach for examining SnTe-based topological materials.

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