Nanoprobing Charge Transport Properties of Strained and Indented Topological Insulator

We investigated the correlation between electrical transport and mechanical stress in $Bi_2Te_2Se$ by using a conductive probe atomic force microscopy in an ultra-high vacuum environment. Uniform distribution of measured friction and current were observed over a single quintuple layer terrace, which is an indication of the uniform chemical composition of the surface. By measuring the charge transport of $Bi_2Te_2Se$ surface as a function of the load applied by a tip to the sample, we found that the current density varies with applied load. The variation of current density was explained in light of the combined effect of the changes in the in-plane conductance and spin-orbit coupling that were theoretically predicted. We suppose that the local density of states is modified by tip-induced strain, but topological phase still remains. We exposed a clean topological insulator surface by tip-induced indentation. The surface conductance on the indented $Bi_2Te_2Se$ surface was studied, and the role of surface oxide on the surface conductance is discussed.