Characterization of the dynamics of the tunable topological crystalline insulator Pb1−xSnxSe using optical pump-terahertz probe measurements

Zhenyang Xiao; Jiashu Wang; Xinyu Liu; Badih Assaf; David Burghoff

doi:10.1117/12.2609663

7 March 2022 Characterization of the dynamics of the tunable topological crystalline insulator Pb_1−xSn_xSe using optical pump-terahertz probe measurements

Zhenyang Xiao, Jiashu Wang, Xinyu Liu, Badih Assaf, David Burghoff

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12000, Terahertz, RF, Millimeter, and Submillimeter-Wave Technology and Applications XV; 1200009 (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2609663
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2022, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Topological crystalline insulators—topological insulators whose properties are guaranteed by crystalline symmetry— can potentially provide a promising platform for terahertz optoelectronic devices, as their properties can be tuned on demand when layered in heterostructures. We perform the first optical-pump terahertz-probe spectroscopy of topological crystalline insulators, using them to study the dynamics of Pb_1−xSn_xSe as a function of temperature. At low temperatures, excitation of Dirac fermions leads to an increase in terahertz transmission; from this negative photoconductivity, the intrasubband relaxation rate of 6 ps is extracted. At high temperatures where only massive fermions exist, the free-carrier losses induced by the pump reduce the terahertz transmission for the duration of the 27 ps interband lifetime. Both effects are present at temperatures near the topological-to-trivial transition. Our experimental observations provide critical details for potential applications of Pb_1−xSn_xSe and provide a direct measurement of the topological character of Pb_1−xSn_xSe heterostructures.

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Zhenyang Xiao, Jiashu Wang, Xinyu Liu, Badih Assaf, and David Burghoff "Characterization of the dynamics of the tunable topological crystalline insulator Pb_1−xSn_xSe using optical pump-terahertz probe measurements", Proc. SPIE 12000, Terahertz, RF, Millimeter, and Submillimeter-Wave Technology and Applications XV, 1200009 (7 March 2022); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2609663

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