Polarization-resolved resonant Raman excitation of surface and bulk electronic bands and phonons in MBE-grown topological insulator thin films.

Interaction of phonons with Dirac-like electronic states sets the fundamental limit of electron transport in topological insulators (TIs). Polarization-resolved and resonant Raman scattering of bulk and surface electronic excitation and vibrational modes in BiTe and BiSbTeSe (BSTS) thin films was investigated. At photon energies () of 1.57 and 2.54 eV, A11g and A21g (LO) modes in BiTe and BSTS were resonantly excited owing to interband optical excitations of the surface Dirac state (DS) and bulk conduction band (CB), respectively. At room temperature, the resonance of the surface phonon of Raman and IR active modes E1u (LO) and A11u (LO) was observed in BiTe because of interband excitation of bulk CB, and interband transition of DS resonantly excited the A21u (LO) surface phonon in BSTS. A Fano line-shape suggested interference in the presence of electron-phonon coupling of the surface states.