Nanometric Moire Stripes on the Surface of Bi2Se3 Topological Insulator

Mismatch between adjacent atomic layers in low-dimensional materials, generating moire patterns, has recently emerged as a suitable method to tune electronic properties by inducing strong electron correlations and generating novel phenomena. Beyond graphene, van der Waals structures such as three-dimensional (3D) topological insulators (TIs) appear as ideal candidates for the study of these phenomena due to the weak coupling between layers. Here we discover and investigate the origin of 1D moire stripes on the surface of Bi2Se3 TI thin films and nanobelts. Scanning tunneling microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveal a unidirectional strained top layer, in the range 14-25%, with respect to the relaxed bulk structure, which cannot be ascribed to the mismatch with the substrate lattice but rather to strain induced by a specific growth mechanism. The 1D stripes are characterized by a spatial modulation of the local density of states, which is strongly enhanced compared to the bulk system. Density functional theory calculations confirm the experimental findings, showing that the TI surface Dirac cone is preserved in the 1D moire stripes, as expected from the topology, though with a heavily renormalized Fermi velocity that also changes between the top and valley of the stripes. The strongly enhanced density of surface states in the TI 1D moire superstructure can be instrumental in promoting strong correlations in the topological surface states, which can be responsible for surface magnetism and topological superconductivity.

Automated summary

One-dimensional moire stripes are discovered and investigated on the surface of three-dimensional topological insulator thin films and nanobelts. The local density of states in the stripes is found to be strongly enhanced compared to the bulk system. This enhanced density can promote strong correlations in the topological surface states, potentially leading to surface magnetism and topological superconductivity.