Epitaxial growth of beta-bismuthene on Sb2Te3

TL;DR

This paper reports the epitaxial growth and atomic structure analysis of beta-bismuthene on Sb2Te3, highlighting the effects of Bi coverage and substrate temperature on nucleation and defect formation.

Contribution

It demonstrates the synthesis of beta-bismuthene on a topological insulator substrate and analyzes the growth mechanisms and defect structures involved.

Findings

Bi coverage and substrate temperature influence nucleation and island morphology.

Substrate-induced defects are present throughout the bismuthene lattice.

Epitaxial heterointerface of beta-bismuthene on Sb2Te3 was successfully formed.

Abstract

Over the past decades, two-dimensional crystals have attracted considerable interest as promising materials for electronic and optoelectronic applications. Among them, graphene analogs composed of heavy atoms occupy a particularly distinctive niche due to their enhanced spin-orbit interaction. Here, we present an epitaxial heterointerface formed by beta-bismuthene on Sb2Te3, a well-known three-dimensional topological insulator. Using scanning tunneling microscopy, we systematically investigated the effects of Bi coverage and substrate temperature on nucleation processes, island morphology, and atomic structure. In addition, substrate-induced defects were identified throughout the bismuthene lattice.