Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2025

Experimental Methods for Spin- and Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy Combined with Polarization-Variable Laser
Published on: June 28, 2018
Progressive Control of Rashba State on Topological Dirac Semimetal KZnBi
Gyubin Lee1, Jahyun Koo2, Yeonghoon Lee2
1Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Rashba states have been actively revisited as a platform for advanced applications such as spintronics and topological quantum computation. Yet, access to the Rashba state is restricted to the specific material sets, and the methodology to control the Rashba state is not established. Here, we report the Rashba states on the (001) surface of KZnBi, a 3D Dirac semimetal. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and first-principles calculations, we investigated the evolution of Rashba states under different surface conditions controlled by alkali metal deposition. We observed that restoring surface ordering enables a Rashba state, which is absent in freshly cleaved surfaces. Interestingly, we were able to modify the dispersion of the Rashba state from an ordinary parabolic dispersion to a linearly dispersing Dirac-like state by additional alkali-metal deposition. Our findings provide a methodology for engineering the properties of Rashba states for advanced applications and redefine topological systems as generic hosts of Rashba states.
Related Concept Videos
Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions
In Schottky junctions, where the semiconductor is n-type, applying a positive voltage to the metal relative to the semiconductor reduces its Fermi...
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes
Theory of Metallic Conduction
In this theory, Newton's second law of motion is used to determine the acceleration of an electron in the presence of an applied electric field. Then, its velocity is expressed via this acceleration.
An electron moves through the crystal, containing positive ions,...
Ferromagnetism
Fermi Level Dynamics
Electron affinity in semiconductors refers to the energy gap between the minimum of its conduction band and the vacuum level and it is a critical parameter in determining how easily a semiconductor can accept additional electrons.
The work...
Fermi Level
At absolute zero temperature, electrons fill all energy states up to the Fermi level, leaving upper states empty. As the temperature rises,...

