Extrinsic n-type doping of Cd3As2 thin films

Cd3As2 provides an excellent platform for studying the physics of three-dimensional Dirac semimetals due to its stability as well as its compatibility with thin film growth. Crystals made using both bulk and thin film synthesis are unintentionally doped n-type, and other than introducing Zn to reduce the carrier concentration, no efforts have been reported to alter this intrinsic doping without major changes to the band structure. Here, group VI elements Te and Se are introduced during epitaxy to increase the electron concentration of the films. Starting from an unintentionally doped electron concentration of 1–2 × 1017 cm−3, concentrations of up to 3 × 1018 cm−3 are achieved. Analysis of Shubnikov–de Haas oscillations reveals good agreement in calculated effective mass and Fermi velocity of highly doped films with unintentionally doped single crystals with similar electron concentrations. The density functional theory is also performed to study the effects of group VI substitutions and confirms no strong perturbations in the electronic structure. This work ultimately demonstrates tunability in the carrier concentration using extrinsic dopants without substantial changes in the band structure, allowing for intentional design of Fermi-level position for device applications.