# Single and bilayer graphene on the topological insulator Bi$_2$Se$_3$: Electronic and spin-orbit properties from first principles

## TL;DR

This study uses first-principles calculations to analyze how graphene's electronic and spin-orbit properties are affected when placed on top of the topological insulator Bi$_2$Se$_3$, revealing tunable SOC effects and potential for spintronic applications.

## Contribution

It provides a detailed first-principles analysis of proximity-induced spin-orbit coupling in graphene on Bi$_2$Se$_3$, including effects of electric fields and interlayer distance, which was not previously characterized.

## Key findings

- Graphene becomes hole doped by 350 meV while maintaining linear dispersion.
- Proximity-induced SOC in graphene is about 1 meV, valley-Zeeman type, weakly dependent on Bi$_2$Se$_3$ layers.
- Electric fields can tune band offsets and SOC, enabling a spin-orbit valve in bilayer graphene.

## Abstract

We present a detailed study of the electronic and spin-orbit properties of single and bilayer graphene in proximity to the topological insulator Bi$_2$Se$_3$. Our approach is based on first-principles calculations, combined with symmetry derived model Hamiltonians that capture the low-energy band properties. We consider single and bilayer graphene on 1--3 quintuple layers of Bi$_2$Se$_3$ and extract orbital and proximity induced spin-orbit coupling (SOC) parameters. We find that graphene gets significantly hole doped (350 meV), but the linear dispersion is preserved. The proximity induced SOC parameters are about 1 meV in magnitude, and are of valley-Zeeman type. The induced SOC depends weakly on the number of quintuple layers of Bi$_2$Se$_3$. We also study the effect of a transverse electric field, that is applied across heterostructures of single and bilayer graphene above 1 quintuple layer of Bi$_2$Se$_3$. Our results show that band offsets, as well as proximity induced SOC parameters can be tuned by the field. Most interesting is the case of bilayer graphene, in which the band gap, originating from the intrinsic dipole of the heterostructure, can be closed and reopened again, with inverted band character. The switching of the strong proximity SOC from the conduction to the valence band realizes a spin-orbit valve. Additonally, we find a giant increase of the proximity induced SOC of about 200%, when we decrease the interlayer distance between graphene and Bi$_2$Se$_3$ by only 10%. Finally, for a different substrate material Bi$_2$Te$_2$Se, band offsets are significantly different, with the graphene Dirac point located at the Fermi level, while the induced SOC strength stays similar in magnitude compared to the Bi$_2$Se$_3$ substrate.