Kinetically-controlled epitaxial growth of Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$ van der Waals ferromagnetic films

TL;DR

This study reveals that controlling growth kinetics via deposition rate influences the formation of phases and quality of Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$ ferromagnetic films grown by molecular beam epitaxy, enabling improved epitaxial film properties.

Contribution

It demonstrates how kinetic control during molecular beam epitaxy can tune phase formation and interface quality in Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$ van der Waals ferromagnetic films.

Findings

Kinetic control affects phase formation in Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$ growth.

Optimized films have atomically smooth surfaces and sharp interfaces.

Magnetic properties confirmed through multiple characterization methods.

Abstract

We demonstrate that kinetics play an important role in the epitaxial growth of Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$ (FGT) van der Waals (vdW) ferromagnetic films by molecular beam epitaxy. By varying the deposition rate, we control the formation or suppression of an initial tellurium-deficient non-van der Waals phase (Fe$_3$Ge$_2$) prior to realizing epitaxial growth of the vdW FGT phase. Using cross-sectional scanning transmission electron microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy, we optimize the FGT films to have atomically smooth surfaces and abrupt interfaces with the Ge(111) substrate. The magnetic properties of our high quality material are confirmed through magneto-optic, magnetotransport, and spin-polarized STM studies. Importantly, this demonstrates how the interplay of energetics and kinetics can help tune the re-evaporation rate of chalcogen atoms and interdiffusion from the underlayer, which paves the way for future studies of van der Waals epitaxy.