Surface-sensitive two-dimensional magneto-fingerprint in mesoscopic Bi ₂Se₃ channels

Periodic Aharonov-Bohm and Altshuler-Aronov-Spivak oscillations have traditionally been observed in lateral transport through patterned mesoscopic loops of diffusive conductors. However, our studies of perpendicular-to-plane magnetotransport in straight-channel, diffusive devices of epitaxial Bi ₂Se₃ surprisingly reveal signatures of Aharonov-Bohm orbits, periodic conductance fluctuation magneto-fingerprints, even though the devices are not explicitly patterned into loops. We show that the length scale of these orbits corresponds to the typical perimeter of triangular terraces found on the surface of these thin film devices, strongly suggesting that the periodic magneto-fingerprint arises from coherent scattering of electron waves from the step-edges. Our interpretation is bolstered by control measurements in devices without such surface morphology that only show a conventional, aperiodic magneto-fingerprint. These results show that lithographically patterned Bi ₂Se₃ devices provide a novel class of mesoscopic physical systems for systematic studies of coherent surface sensitive transport.