Oxide materials as building blocks for artificial topological insulators

Abstract

An oxide topological insulator could be a possible building block for a new generation of consumer electronics, contributing to the need for more energy-efficient devices. A topological insulator is famous for its insulating bulk characteristics and metallic surface states. Various experimental realizations are known, but all with a relatively small energy band gap. Using oxide materials for artificially designed topological insulators potentially enlarges the size of the band gap or could enrich the functionality. Application at room temperature could become feasible and would open a route towards dissipationless electronics. In this dissertation, various design principles are explored as possible routes to achieve a nontrivial phase in oxide materials.