High Quality Ultrathin Bi2Se3 Films on CaF2 and CaF2/Si by Molecular Beam Epitaxy with a Radio Frequency Cracker Cell

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel method for fabricating high-quality ultrathin Bi2Se3 films using molecular beam epitaxy with a radio frequency cracker cell, achieving smooth surfaces and observing topological surface states.

Contribution

The study introduces a new fabrication technique for ultrathin Bi2Se3 films with near-stoichiometric rates and demonstrates their topological properties through transport measurements.

Findings

Achieved layer-by-layer growth of high-quality Bi2Se3 films.

Observed quantum oscillations linked to topological surface states.

Demonstrated films on CaF2/Si substrates with characteristic transport properties.

Abstract

Here we report a method to fabricate high quality Bi2Se3 thin films using molecular beam epitaxy with a radio frequency cracker cell as an atomic selenium source. With rates close to exact stoichiometry, optimal layer-by-layer growth of high quality Bi2Se3 thin films with smooth surfaces, has been achieved on CaF2(111) substrates and Si(111) substrates with a thin CaF2 buffer layer(CaF2/Si). Transport measurements show a characteristic weak antilocalization mangnetoresistance, with emergence of weak localization in the ultrathin film limit. Quantum Oscillations attributed to the topological surface states have been observed, including in films on CaF2/Si.