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Growth of Bi 2 Se 3 and Bi 2 Te 3 on amorphous fused silica by MBE
Author(s) -
CollinsMcIntyre L. J.,
Wang W.,
Zhou B.,
Speller S. C.,
Chen Y. L.,
Hesjedal T.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
physica status solidi (b)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1521-3951
pISSN - 0370-1972
DOI - 10.1002/pssb.201552003
Subject(s) - topological insulator , amorphous solid , materials science , molecular beam epitaxy , diffraction , photoemission spectroscopy , substrate (aquarium) , thin film , electron diffraction , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , epitaxy , crystallography , optoelectronics , optics , nanotechnology , condensed matter physics , chemistry , nuclear magnetic resonance , physics , oceanography , layer (electronics) , geology
Topological insulator (TI) thin films of Bi2 Se3 and Bi2 Te3 have been successfully grown on amorphous fused silica (vitreous SiO2 ) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. We find that such growth is possible and investigations by X‐ray diffraction reveal good crystalline quality with a high degree of order along the c ‐axis. Atomic force microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction and X‐ray reflectivity are used to study the surface morphology and structural film parameters. Angle‐resolved photoemission spectroscopy studies confirm the existence of a topological surface state. This work shows that TI films can be grown on amorphous substrates, while maintaining the topological surface state despite the lack of in‐plane rotational order of the domains. The growth on fused silica presents a promising route to detailed thermoelectric measurements of TI films, free from unwanted thermal, electrical, and piezoelectric influences from the substrate.