Structural and electrical properties of SnTe nanoflakes and nanowires

Abstract SnTe is a topological crystalline insulator, hosting topologically non-trivial surface states with potential applications in fault-tolerant quantum computing. Nanowires, due to their high surface-to-volume ratio, offer an ideal geometry for measuring these states. However, distinction of conductance from these topological surface states from the trivial bulk is currently hindered by a high bulk carrier density. Due to the small dimensions of nanowires, accurate measurements of the carrier density in SnTe nanowires have been lacking. Here, we measure the carrier density in SnTe nanoflakes and nanowires using the Hall effect. We find that nanoflakes, which allow for easier device fabrication, exhibit carrier densities and mobilities comparable to those of nanowires grown under identical conditions. This suggests that nanoflakes can serve as reliable proxies for probing the electronic properties of nanowires. Additionally, we present a growth model explaining the formation mechanism of SnTe nanoflakes and nanowires. Together, these findings provide a foundation for systematic tuning of carrier density through growth parameter optimization.