We study the local density of states (LDOS) for electrons scattering off the line edge of an atomic step defect on the surface of a three-dimensional (3D) topological insulator (TI) and the line edge of a finite 3D TI, where the front surface and side surface meet with different Fermi velocities, respectively. By using a δ -function potential to model the edges, we find that the bound states existed along the step line edge significantly contribute to the LDOS near the edge, but do not modify the exponential behavior away from it. In addition, the power-law decaying behavior for LDOS oscillation away from the step is understood from the spin rotation for surface states scattering off the step defect with magnitude depending on the strength of the potential. Furthermore, the electron refraction and total reflection analogous to optics occurred at the line edge where two surfaces meet with different Fermi velocities, which leads to the LDOS decaying behavior in the greater Fermi velocity side similar to that for a step line edge. However, in the smaller velocity side the LDOS shows a different decaying behavior as x −1/2 , and the wavevector of LDOS oscillation is no longer equal to the diameter of the constant energy contour of surface band, but is sensitively dependent on the ratio of the two Fermi velocities. These effects may be verified by STM measurement with high precision.

We study the electronic structure and transport properties of Dirac electrons along a channel created by an exchange field through the proximity of ferromagnets on a silicene sheet. The multiple total internal reflection induces localized states in the channel, which behaves like an electron waveguide. An effect of spin- and valley-filtering originating from the coupling between valley and spin degrees is predicted for such a structure. Interestingly, this feature can be tuned significantly by locally applying electric and exchange fields simultaneously. The parameter condition for observing fully spin- and valley-polarized current is obtained. These findings may be observable in todays' experimental technique and useful for spintronic and valleytronic applications based on silicene.

We study the spatial distribution of electron spin polarization for a gate-controlled T-shaped channel on the surface of a three-dimensional topological insulator (3D TI). We demonstrate that an energy gap depending on channel geometry parameters is definitely opened due to the spatial confinement. Spin surface locking in momentum space for a uniform wide channel with Hamiltonian linearity in the wavevector is still kept, but it is broken with Hamiltonian nonlinearity in the wavevector, like that for two-dimensional surface states widely studied in the literature. However, the spin surface locking for a T-shaped channel is broken even with Hamiltonian linearity in the wavevector. Interestingly, the magnitude and direction of the in-plane spin polarization are spatially dependent in all regions due to the breaking of translational symmetry of the T-shaped channel system. These interesting findings for an electrically controlled nanostructure based on the 3D TI surface may be testable with the present experimental technique, and may provide further understanding the nature of 3D TI surface states.

We study the electronic structure and spin polarization of the surface states of a three-dimensional topological insulator thin film modulated by an electrical potential well. By routinely solving the low-energy surface Dirac equation for the system, we demonstrate that confined surface states exist, in which the electron density is almost localized inside the well and exponentially decayed outside in real space, and that their subband dispersions are quasilinear with respect to the propagating wavevector. Interestingly, the top and bottom surface confined states with the same density distribution have opposite spin polarizations due to the hybridization between the two surfaces. Along with the mathematical analysis, we provide an intuitive, topological understanding of the effect.

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