Thickness-Induced Topological Phase Transition Investigated by Helicity Dependent Photocurrent in $\alpha$-Sn/CdTe(110)

Abstract

$\alpha$-Sn exhibits a rich topological phase diagram, yet experimental methods to tune and distinguish these phases remain limited. Here, we investigated the helicity-dependent photocurrent (HDPC) in $\alpha$-Sn films of varying thickness grown on CdTe(110) by molecular beam epitaxy. The HDPC of the 5 nm $\alpha$-Sn film shows an odd-function dependence on incident angle, whereas that of the 10 and 30 nm films exhibit an even-function dependence. Combined with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), point-group symmetry analysis, and first-principles calculations, it is revealed that a thickness-driven topological phase transition from a two dimensional (2D) to a three dimensional (3D) topological insulator occurs between 5 and 10 nm. These results demonstrate that HDPC serves as a sensitive diagnostic tool for topological phase transitions. The tunable electronic properties of $\alpha$-Sn(110) films enable thickness- and strain-mediated control of topological states, establishing a versatile platform for exploring emerging topological phenomena and developing spin-based devices.