A Roadmap for Controlled Production of Topological Insulator Nanostructures and Thin Films

The group V-VI chalcogenide semiconductors (Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3, and Sb2Te3) have long been known as thermoelectric materials. Recently, they have been once more generating interest because Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 have been crowned as 3D topological insulators (TIs), which have insulating bulk gaps and metallic Dirac surface states. One big challenge in the study of TIs is the lack of high-quality materials with few defects and insulating bulk states. To manifest the topological surface states, it is critical to suppress the contribution from the bulk carriers. Controlled production of TI nanostructures that have a large surface-to-volume ratio is an efficient way to reduce the bulk conductance and to significantly enhance the topological surface conduction. In this review article, the recent progress on the preparation of TI nanostructures is highlighted. Basic production methods for TI nanostructures are introduced in detail. Furthermore, several specific production approaches to reduce the residual bulk carriers from defects are summarized. Finally, the progress and the prospects of the production of TI-based heterostructures, which hold promise in both fundamental study and novel applications are discussed.