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Giant Rashba splitting in InBi/SbBi chains on InSb(110): Surface reconstruction as a route to spin-split one-dimensional states

Rohit Yadav1,*,†, Qirui Cui2,‡, Sina Ritter1, Weimin Wang3, Eleni Charitoudi1, Anna Delin2,4,5, and Rainer Timm1,§

  • *Present address: NNF Quantum Computing Programme, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • †Contact author: rohit.yadav@nbi.ku.dk
  • ‡Contact author: qiruic@kth.se
  • §Contact author: rainer.timm@fysik.lu.se
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Phys. Rev. B 114, 185430 – Published 28 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/ly3w-33fy

Abstract

Bismuth-induced (1×2) and (1×3) surface reconstructions on InSb(110) exhibit a tunable giant Rashba splitting associated with one-dimensional atomic chain structures. Remarkably, the lower Bi-coverage Bi/InSb(110)-(1×3) phase shows a larger Rashba splitting parameter than the (1×2) phase, revealing a counterintuitive dependence of spin splitting on adsorbate concentration. Combining surface-science experiments and density functional theory, we show that the magnitude of band splitting is governed by the interplay between atomic-scale surface corrugation and spin-orbit coupling from Bi. Our calculations further indicate that, while Bi is essential to induce the Rashba effect, the significant contribution arises from the InSb substrate. The Bi/InSb(110) reconstructed surface consists of Bi chains bonded selectively to In or Sb of the substrate. These results establish Bi/InSb(110) as a platform for engineering the strength of spin splitting and for enabling the ordered growth of InBi nanostructures.

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Phys. Rev. B 114, 185430– Published 28 September, 2026
  • Received 17 April 2026
  • Revised 29 July 2026
  • Accepted 17 August 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by Bibsam.

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