Stability and Surface Reconstruction of Topological Insulator Bi2Se3 on Exposure to Atmosphere

The stability of the surface of vacuum-cleaved topological insulator Bi2Se3 single crystals is investigated with high-resolution synchrotron-based photoelectron spectroscopy. While the surface is stable at room temperature in vacuum, a Bi2 layer always forms at the surface of Bi2Se3 upon even brief...

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Main Authors: Edmonds, M., Hellerstedt, J., Tadich, A., Schenk, A., O'Donnell, Kane, Tosado, J., Butch, N., Syers, P., Paglione, J., Fuhrer, M.
Format: Journal Article
Published: American Chemical Society 2014
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/27890
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author Edmonds, M.
Hellerstedt, J.
Tadich, A.
Schenk, A.
O'Donnell, Kane
Tosado, J.
Butch, N.
Syers, P.
Paglione, J.
Fuhrer, M.
author_facet Edmonds, M.
Hellerstedt, J.
Tadich, A.
Schenk, A.
O'Donnell, Kane
Tosado, J.
Butch, N.
Syers, P.
Paglione, J.
Fuhrer, M.
author_sort Edmonds, M.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The stability of the surface of vacuum-cleaved topological insulator Bi2Se3 single crystals is investigated with high-resolution synchrotron-based photoelectron spectroscopy. While the surface is stable at room temperature in vacuum, a Bi2 layer always forms at the surface of Bi2Se3 upon even brief (5 min) exposure to atmosphere. This is accompanied by a depletion of selenium in the near surface region and a 1.4 eV decrease in work function. The Bi2 surface is found to be stable upon return to ultrahigh vacuum conditions but is unstable with prolonged exposure to air, ultimately resulting in two possible different reconstructed surfaces, explaining previous contradictory results on long-term atmosphere exposure of Bi2Se3.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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publishDate 2014
publisher American Chemical Society
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-278902017-09-13T15:11:56Z Stability and Surface Reconstruction of Topological Insulator Bi2Se3 on Exposure to Atmosphere Edmonds, M. Hellerstedt, J. Tadich, A. Schenk, A. O'Donnell, Kane Tosado, J. Butch, N. Syers, P. Paglione, J. Fuhrer, M. The stability of the surface of vacuum-cleaved topological insulator Bi2Se3 single crystals is investigated with high-resolution synchrotron-based photoelectron spectroscopy. While the surface is stable at room temperature in vacuum, a Bi2 layer always forms at the surface of Bi2Se3 upon even brief (5 min) exposure to atmosphere. This is accompanied by a depletion of selenium in the near surface region and a 1.4 eV decrease in work function. The Bi2 surface is found to be stable upon return to ultrahigh vacuum conditions but is unstable with prolonged exposure to air, ultimately resulting in two possible different reconstructed surfaces, explaining previous contradictory results on long-term atmosphere exposure of Bi2Se3. 2014 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/27890 10.1021/jp506089b American Chemical Society restricted
spellingShingle Edmonds, M.
Hellerstedt, J.
Tadich, A.
Schenk, A.
O'Donnell, Kane
Tosado, J.
Butch, N.
Syers, P.
Paglione, J.
Fuhrer, M.
Stability and Surface Reconstruction of Topological Insulator Bi2Se3 on Exposure to Atmosphere
title Stability and Surface Reconstruction of Topological Insulator Bi2Se3 on Exposure to Atmosphere
title_full Stability and Surface Reconstruction of Topological Insulator Bi2Se3 on Exposure to Atmosphere
title_fullStr Stability and Surface Reconstruction of Topological Insulator Bi2Se3 on Exposure to Atmosphere
title_full_unstemmed Stability and Surface Reconstruction of Topological Insulator Bi2Se3 on Exposure to Atmosphere
title_short Stability and Surface Reconstruction of Topological Insulator Bi2Se3 on Exposure to Atmosphere
title_sort stability and surface reconstruction of topological insulator bi2se3 on exposure to atmosphere
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/27890