Band structure engineering of topological insulator heterojunctions

We investigate the topological surface states in heterostructures formed from a three-dimensional topological insulator (TI) and a two-dimensional insulating thin film, using first-principles calculations and the tight-binding method. Utilizing a single Bi or Sb bilayer on top of the topological insulators Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3, Bi2Te2Se, and Sb2Te3, we find that the surface states evolve in very peculiar but predictable ways. We show that strong hybridization between the bilayer and TI substrates causes the topological surface states to migrate to the top bilayer. It is found that the difference in the work function of constituent layers, which determines the band alignment and the strength of hybridization, governs the character of newly emerged Dirac states.