Experimental techniques used in topological insulators and realization of quantum spin Hall effect

Abstract

Abstract With the theoretical development and prediction of various topological insulators in two and three dimensions, experimental realization of those topological states and engineering of their characteristics have been hotly pursued, among which the quantum spin Hall effect exhibited in two-dimensional topological insulators have raised lots of concern. This paper aims to firstly give a brief introduction to experimental techniques used in growing and characterizing topological insulators and then we focus on a specific direction, the realization of quantum spin Hall effect, to elucidate one ramification of the experimental progress in the realm of topological insulator. The quantum spin Hall effect distinguishes itself due to its lack of non-magnetic scattering preserved by time reversal symmetry in its edge channels. Thus, materials showing such phenomenon are significantly promising for achieving dissipationless spintronics.