Dresden 2014 – scientific programme

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HL: Fachverband Halbleiterphysik

HL 2: Topological insulators: mostly structure and electronic structure (with MA/O/TT)

HL 2.9: Talk

Monday, March 31, 2014, 11:45–12:00, POT 051

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy of Ultrathin Topological Insulator Sb₂Te₃ Films on Si(111) grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy — •Martin Lanius, Jörn Kampmeier, Gregor Mussler, and Detlev Grützmacher — Peter Grünberg Institut, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany

Topological insulators (TIs) are a class of materials in the field of condensed matter physics. In addition to the fascinating electronic properties, the Van der Waals growth mode of TIs, i.e. the TI epilayer is only weakly bonded to the substrate, which allows the use of substrates with high lattice mismatch, is of high interest. In this case we have studied the nucleation and growth process of the TI Sb₂Te₃ on Si(111) substrates by STM (Scanning Tunneling Microscopy) and AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy). The thin films from several nanometers thickness down to one quintuple layer thickness have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy. To determine the thickness and composition of the films we used x-ray reflectivity and x-ray diffraction. Further investigations of Ge₂Sb₂Te₃, which is a phase-changing material and a topological insulator, and the comparison to the growth mode of Sb₂Te₃ will be presented.