title: Interface-induced topological insulator transition in GaAs/Ge/GaAs quantum wells.
abstract: We demonstrate theoretically that interface engineering can drive germanium, one of the most commonly used semiconductors, into a topological insulating phase. Utilizing giant electric fields generated by charge accumulation at GaAs/Ge/GaAs opposite semiconductor interfaces and band folding, the new design can reduce the sizable gap in Ge and induce large spin-orbit interaction, which leads to a topological insulator transition. Our work provides a new method to realize topological insulators in commonly used semiconductors and suggests a promising approach to integrate it in well-developed semiconductor electronic devices.
authors.affiliation: SKLSM, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 912, Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wenkai
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.forename: Maosheng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.forename: Shou-cheng
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chang