Abstract
We investigate the topological phases of a three-dimensional (3D) topological insulator (TI) without the top–bottom inversion symmetry. We calculate the momentum depended spin Chern number to extract the phase diagram. Various phases are found and we address the dependence of phase boundaries on the strength of inversion asymmetry. Opposite to the quasi-two-dimensional thin film TI, in our 3D system the TI state is stabilized by the structure inversion asymmetry (SIA). With a strong SIA the 3D TI phase can exist even under a large Zeeman field. In a tight-binding form, the surface modes are discussed to confirm with the phase diagram. Particularly we find that the SIA cannot destroy the surface states but open a gap on its spectrum.
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