%0 Journal Article
%A Kölzer, Jonas
%A Moors, Kristof
%A Jalil, Abdur Rehman
%A Zimmermann, Erik
%A Rosenbach, Daniel
%A Kibkalo, Lidia
%A Schüffelgen, Peter
%A Mussler, Gregor
%A Grützmacher, Detlev
%A Schmidt, Thomas L.
%A Lüth, Hans
%A Schäpers, Thomas
%T In-plane magnetic field-driven symmetry breaking in topological insulator-based three-terminal junctions
%J Communications materials
%V 2
%N 1
%@ 2662-4443
%C London
%I Springer Nature
%M FZJ-2021-04887
%P 116
%D 2021
%X Topological surface states of three-dimensional topological insulator nanoribbons and their distinct magnetoconductance properties are promising for topoelectronic applications and topological quantum computation. A crucial building block for nanoribbon-based circuits are three-terminal junctions. While the transport of topological surface states on a planar boundary is not directly affected by an in-plane magnetic field, the orbital effect cannot be neglected when the surface states are confined to the boundary of a nanoribbon geometry.Here, we report on the magnetotransport properties of such three-terminal junctions. We observe a dependence of the current on the in-plane magnetic field, with a distinct steeringpattern of the surface state current towards a preferred output terminal for different magnetic field orientations. We demonstrate that this steering effect originates from the orbital effect, trapping the phase-coherent surface states in the different legs of the junction on opposite sides of the nanoribbon and breaking the left-right symmetry of the transmission across the junction. The reported magnetotransport properties demonstrate that an in-plane magnetic field is not only relevant but also very useful for the characterization and manipulation oftransport in three-dimensional topological insulator nanoribbon-based junctions and circuits, acting as a topoelectric current switch.
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)16
%9 Journal Article
%U <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000724782200001
%R 10.1038/s43246-021-00213-3
%U https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/903167