Imaging current distribution in a topological insulator Bi(2)Se(3) in the presence of competing surface and bulk contributions to conductivity

Two-dimensional (2D) topological surface states in a three-dimensional topological insulator (TI) should produce uniform 2D surface current distribution. However, our transport current imaging studies on Bi(2)Se(3) thin film reveal non-uniform current sheet flow at 15 K with strong edge current flow. This is consistent with other imaging studies on thin films of Bi(2)Se(3). In contrast to strong edge current flow in thin films, in single crystal of Bi(2)Se(3) at 15 K our current imaging studies show the presence of 3.6 nm thick uniform 2D sheet current flow. Above 70 K, this uniform 2D sheet current sheet begins to disintegrate into a spatially non-uniform flow. The flow becomes patchy with regions having high and low current density. The area fraction of the patches with high current density rapidly decreases at temperatures above 70 K, with a temperature dependence of the form [Formula: see text] . The temperature scale of 70 K coincides with the onset of bulk conductivity in the crystal due to electron doping by selenium vacancy clusters in Bi(2)Se(3). Thus our results show a temperature dependent competition between surface and bulk conductivity produces a temperature dependent variation in uniformity of current flow in the topological insulator.