Giant Rashba Splitting in Pb1–xSnxTe (111) Topological Crystalline Insulator Films Controlled by Bi Doping in the Bulk

The topological properties of lead-tin chalcogenide topological crystalline insulators can be widely tuned by temperature and composition. It is shown that bulk Bi doping of epitaxial Pb1-xSnxTe (111) films induces a giant Rashba splitting at the surface that can be tuned by the doping level. Tight binding calculations identify their origin as Fermi level pinning by trap states at the surface.