Growth characteristics of topological insulator Bi2Se3 films on different substrates

Molecular -beam epitaxy of topological insulator Bi2Se3 on different substrates is carried out, including on clean and hydrogen-terminated Si(111), bismuth (Bi) induced Si(1 1 1)-(root 3 x root 3) and -(3 x 3) surfaces, GaN, and several selenide compounds. Epifilms surface and structural properties are characterized and the effects of surface structure and lattice misfit are indicated. It is found that substrates that are inert to chemical reaction with Bi and/or selenium (Se) and have small lattice misfits with Bi2Se3 appear advantageous to single-crystalline Bi2Se3 film growth. By using vicinal substrates, rotation or twin domains are effectively suppressed. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.