Tunable two-dimensional electron gas at the surface of thermoelectric material In₄Se₃

We report the discovery of two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the surface of thermoelectric material In$_4$Se$_3$ by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The observed 2DEG exhibits a nearly isotropic band dispersion with a considerably small effective mass of m* = 0.16 m_0, and its carrier density shows a significant temperature dependence, leading to unconventional metal-semiconductor transition at the surface. The observed wide-range thermal tunability of 2DEG in In$_4$Se$_3$ gives rise to additional degrees of freedom to better control the surface carriers of semiconductors.