Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics

Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics

When an electric field passes from one homogeneous medium to another, crossing the boundary between the two mediums imparts a discontinuity in the electric field. This results in electrostatic boundary conditions that depend on the type of mediums the field propagates through.
Consider a case where both the mediums across a boundary are two different dielectric materials. Recall that the electric field and electric displacement are proportional and related through the material's permittivity....

Band Theory

Band Theory

When two or more atoms come together to form a molecule, their atomic orbitals combine and molecular orbitals of distinct energies result. In a solid, there are a large number of atoms, and therefore a large number of atomic orbitals that may be combined into molecular orbitals. These groups of molecular orbitals are so closely placed together to form continuous regions of energies, known as the bands.
The energy difference between these bands is known as the band gap.
Conductor, Semiconductor,...

Valence Bond Theory

Valence Bond Theory

Coordination compounds and complexes exhibit different colors, geometries, and magnetic behavior, depending on the metal atom/ion and ligands from which they are composed. In an attempt to explain the bonding and structure of coordination complexes, Linus Pauling proposed the valence bond theory, or VBT, using the concepts of hybridization and the overlapping of the atomic orbitals. According to VBT, the central metal atom or ion (Lewis acid) hybridizes to provide empty orbitals of suitable...

Theory of Metallic Conduction

Theory of Metallic Conduction

The conduction of free electrons inside a conductor is best described by quantum mechanics. However, a classical model makes predictions close to the results of quantum mechanics. It is called the 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,...

Fermi Level Dynamics

Fermi Level Dynamics

The vacuum level denotes the energy threshold required for an electron to escape from a material surface. It is usually positioned above the conduction band of a semiconductor and acts as a benchmark for comparing electron energies within various materials.
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...

Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions

Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions

Biasing metal-semiconductor junctions involves applying a voltage across the junction. Specifically, the metal is connected to a voltage source, while the semiconductor is grounded. This technique is essential for controlling the direction and magnitude of current flow in electronic devices, including diodes, transistors, and photovoltaic cells.
In Schottky junctions, where the semiconductor is n-type, applying a positive voltage to the metal relative to the semiconductor reduces its Fermi...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Glass-like anomalies and unconventional thermoelectric transport in chimney ladder crystals.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Three-stage melting of a macroscopic continuous spacetime crystal.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Impact of elastic inhomogeneity on collective dynamical properties investigated by field theoretical description in real space.

Journal of physics. Condensed matter : an Institute of Physics journal·2026

Same author

Topological signatures of collective dynamics and turbulent-like energy cascades in apolar active granular matter.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Geometric indicators of local plasticity in glasses measured by scanning small-beam diffraction.

Acta crystallographica. Section A, Foundations and advances·2025

Same author

Atomistic mechanisms of viscosity in 2D liquid-like fluids.

Nature communications·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 10, 2026

Fabrication of Spatially Confined Complex Oxides

Fabrication of Spatially Confined Complex Oxides

Published on: July 1, 2013

Designing atomic-scale resistive circuits in topological insulators through vacancy-induced localized modes.

Cunyuan Jiang^1,2, Weicen Dong^1,2, Matteo Baggioli^1,2

¹School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China.

Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter : an Institute of Physics Journal

|November 25, 2025

Summary

Structural defects like vacancies in topological insulators can create unique electronic modes. These modes may enable the design of atomic-scale resistive circuits, offering new possibilities in materials science.

Keywords:

localized modes resistive circuits topological insulators vacancies

More Related Videos

Tuning Oxide Properties by Oxygen Vacancy Control During Growth and Annealing

Tuning Oxide Properties by Oxygen Vacancy Control During Growth and Annealing

Published on: June 9, 2023

In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy with Biasing and Fabrication of Asymmetric Crossbars Based on Mixed-Phased a-VOx

In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy with Biasing and Fabrication of Asymmetric Crossbars Based on Mixed-Phased a-VOx

Published on: May 13, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 10, 2026

Fabrication of Spatially Confined Complex Oxides

Fabrication of Spatially Confined Complex Oxides

Published on: July 1, 2013

Tuning Oxide Properties by Oxygen Vacancy Control During Growth and Annealing

Tuning Oxide Properties by Oxygen Vacancy Control During Growth and Annealing

Published on: June 9, 2023

In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy with Biasing and Fabrication of Asymmetric Crossbars Based on Mixed-Phased a-VOx

In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy with Biasing and Fabrication of Asymmetric Crossbars Based on Mixed-Phased a-VOx

Published on: May 13, 2020

Area of Science:

Condensed matter physics
Materials science
Quantum mechanics

Background:

Topological insulators possess unique electronic properties protected by topology.
Structural defects, such as vacancies, can significantly influence material properties.
Localized electronic excitations and chiral modes are key phenomena in topological materials.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the induction of localized electronic excitations by vacancies in topological insulators.
To explore the emergence of one-dimensional chiral bulk modes from closely spaced vacancies.
To propose and analyze the potential of vacancies for designing atomic-scale resistive circuits.

Main Methods:

Utilizing a tight-binding Hamiltonian model to describe the dynamics of chiral bulk modes.
Calculating the hopping parameter based on the overlap of electronic wave functions between adjacent vacancies.
Estimating circuit resistance as a function of vacancy distribution and geometric properties.

Main Results:

Vacancies can induce topologically protected localized electronic excitations.
Sufficiently close vacancies give rise to one-dimensional propagating chiral bulk modes.
The tight-binding model accurately predicts the low-energy spectrum of these modes.
The resistance of vacancy-based circuits is dependent on the geometric arrangement of vacancies.

Conclusions:

Vacancies in topological materials offer a pathway to engineer novel electronic functionalities.
The phenomenon provides a basis for designing atomic-scale resistive circuits.
Further research can explore the precise control of resistance through vacancy engineering.