Coulomb impurity scattering in topological insulator thin films

Inter-surface coupling in thin-film topological insulators can reduce the surface state mobility by an order of magnitude in low-temperature transport measurements. The reduction is caused by a reduction in the group velocity and an increased sz component of the surface-state spin which weakens the selection rule against large-angle scattering. An intersurface potential splits the degenerate bands into a Rashba-like bandstructure. This reduces the intersurface coupling, it largely restores the selection rule against large angle scattering, and the ring-shaped valence band further reduces backscattering by requiring, on average, larger momentum transfer for backscattering events. The effects of temperature, Fermi level, and intersurface potential on the Coulomb impurity scattering limited mobility are analyzed and discussed.