Quantum oscillations on the surface of InAs epilayer

Abstract Indium arsenide (InAs), a narrow-gap semiconductor, has a highly conductive 2-dimensional surface state naturally formed as a result of band bending at the free surface. The Shubnikov–de Haas oscillations have been studied widely in its heterostructures, e.g. 2-dimensional electron gases. However, studies on such a nature surface state are missing. Here, we report a Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillation that originates from the InAs surface state. Two leading oscillation frequencies in the SdH signal are attributed to Rashba spin-orbit coupling residing in the surface state. We also found for the surface state an effective electron mass of 0.038 m 0 , heavier than ~0.023 m 0 in the bulk. Our study also suggests a Rashba coupling constant in the order of ~10 −11  eV m, showing good agreement with previously reported values for InAs.