Pulsed-laser epitaxy of topological insulator Bi2Te3 thin films

Zhaoliang Liao; Matthew Brahlek; Jong Mok Ok; Lauren Nuckols; Yogesh Sharma; Qiyang Lu; Yanwen Zhang; Ho Nyung Lee

doi:10.1063/1.5088190

Pulsed-laser epitaxy of topological insulator Bi₂Te₃ thin films

Zhaoliang Liao, Matthew Brahlek, Jong Mok Ok, Lauren Nuckols, Yogesh Sharma, Qiyang Lu, Yanwen Zhang, Ho Nyung Lee

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

27 Scopus citations

Abstract

Determining optimized conditions necessary to achieve high-quality films by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) for materials with multiple volatile elements is challenging. In this work, we present the optimized growth of epitaxial films of the topological insulator Bi₂Te₃ on Al₂O₃ (0001) substrates using PLD. It is found that the key to maximize film quality requires balanced control of the Ar background pressure (P_Ar) and growth temperature (T_G). Within a narrow window (200 ≤ P_Ar < 350 mTorr and 300 ≤ T_G < 350 °C), we find that Bi₂Te₃ thin films are flat, stoichiometric, and of the highest crystalline quality. This is a result of balancing the kinetics of ablated species in the PLD plume and the bulk thermodynamics of Bi₂Te₃. This work demonstrates that a careful optimization of the growth parameters can enable PLD to successfully grow multielemental materials containing volatile constituents.

Original language	English
Article number	041101
Journal	APL Materials
Volume	7
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5088190
State	Published - Apr 1 2019

Funding

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Materials Sciences and Engineering Division (dc transport, RBS, and related data analysis) and by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the U.S. DOE (synthesis and structural characterization). Q.L. was supported by the DOE, BES, Computational Materials Sciences Program for his experimental assistance. L.N. was supported by the University of Tennessee Governor’s Chair program for recording the RBS spectra.

Funders	Funder number
University of Tennessee Governor
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Science
Basic Energy Sciences
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

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abstract = "Determining optimized conditions necessary to achieve high-quality films by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) for materials with multiple volatile elements is challenging. In this work, we present the optimized growth of epitaxial films of the topological insulator Bi2Te3 on Al2O3 (0001) substrates using PLD. It is found that the key to maximize film quality requires balanced control of the Ar background pressure (PAr) and growth temperature (TG). Within a narrow window (200 ≤ PAr < 350 mTorr and 300 ≤ TG < 350 °C), we find that Bi2Te3 thin films are flat, stoichiometric, and of the highest crystalline quality. This is a result of balancing the kinetics of ablated species in the PLD plume and the bulk thermodynamics of Bi2Te3. This work demonstrates that a careful optimization of the growth parameters can enable PLD to successfully grow multielemental materials containing volatile constituents.",

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AU - Sharma, Yogesh

AU - Lu, Qiyang

AU - Zhang, Yanwen

AU - Lee, Ho Nyung

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Pulsed-laser epitaxy of topological insulator Bi₂Te₃ thin films

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