A new type of cyclotron resonance from charge-impurity scattering in the bulk-insulating Bi$_2$Se$_3$ thin films

Abstract

This work focuses on the low frequency Drude response of bulk-insulating topological insulator Bi$_2$Se$_3$ films. The frequency and field dependence of the mobility and carrier density are measured simultaneously via time-domain terahertz spectroscopy. These films are grown on buffer layers, capped by Se, and have been exposed in air for months. Under a magnetic field up to 7 Tesla, we observe prominent cyclotron resonances (CRs). We attribute the sharp CR to two different topological surface states (TSSs) from both surfaces of the films. The CR sharpens at high fields due to an electron-impurity scattering. By using magneto-terahertz spectroscopy, we confirm that these films are bulk-insulating, which paves the way to use intrinsic topological insulators without bulk carriers for applications including topological spintronics and quantum computing.