High performance topological insulator nanowire field-effect transistors

We show experimentally that single-crystal nanowires of the topological insulator Bi₂Se₃ can be used as the conduction channel in high-performance field effect transistor, a basic circuit building block. The current-voltage characteristics are superior to many of those reported for semiconductor nanowire transistors. The metallic electron transport at the surface with good mobility can be effectively separated from the bulk conduction and adjusted by field effect at a small gate voltage. These properties open up a many potential applications in nanoelectronics and spintronics.