Observation of topological crystalline insulator surface states on (111)-oriented PbSnSe films
Phys. Rev. B 89, 075317 – Published 28 February, 2014
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.89.075317
Abstract
We present angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements of the surface states on in-situ grown (111) oriented films of PbSnSe, a three-dimensional topological crystalline insulator. We observe surface states with Dirac-like dispersion at and in the surface Brillouin zone, supporting recent theoretical predictions for this family of materials. We study the parallel dispersion isotropy and Dirac-point binding energy of the surface states, and perform tight-binding calculations to support our findings. The relative simplicity of the growth technique is encouraging, and suggests a clear path for future investigations into the role of strain, vicinality, and alternative surface orientations in (Pb,Sn)Se solid solutions.