Nanoscale Probing of Local Electrical Characteristics on MBE-Grown Bi2Te3 Surfaces under Ambient Conditions

Rita J. Macedo; Sara E. Harrison; Tatiana S. Dorofeeva; James S. Harris; Richard A. Kiehl

doi:10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b00542

Nanoscale Probing of Local Electrical Characteristics on MBE-Grown Bi₂Te₃ Surfaces under Ambient Conditions

Rita J. Macedo, Sara E. Harrison, Tatiana S. Dorofeeva, James S. Harris, Richard A. Kiehl

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

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

The local electrical characteristics on the surface of MBE-grown Bi₂Te₃ are probed under ambient conditions by conductive atomic force microscopy. Nanoscale mapping reveals a 10-100× enhancement in current at step-edges compared to that on terraces. Analysis of the local current-voltage characteristics indicates that the transport mechanism is similar for step-edges and terraces. Comparison of the results with those for control samples shows that the current enhancement is not a measurement artifact but instead is due to local differences in electronic properties. The likelihood of various possible mechanisms is discussed. The absence of enhancement at the step-edges for graphite terraces is consistent with the intriguing possibility that spin-orbit coupling and topological effects play a significant role in the step-edge current enhancement in Bi₂Te₃.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	4241-4247
Number of pages	7
Journal	Nano Letters
Volume	15
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b00542
State	Published - Jul 8 2015

Keywords

Bismuth telluride
atomic force microscopy
molecular beam epitaxy
topological insulators
van der Waals epitaxy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Bioengineering
Chemistry(all)
Materials Science(all)
Condensed Matter Physics
Mechanical Engineering

Access to Document

10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b00542

Cite this

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title = "Nanoscale Probing of Local Electrical Characteristics on MBE-Grown Bi2Te3 Surfaces under Ambient Conditions",

abstract = "The local electrical characteristics on the surface of MBE-grown Bi2Te3 are probed under ambient conditions by conductive atomic force microscopy. Nanoscale mapping reveals a 10-100× enhancement in current at step-edges compared to that on terraces. Analysis of the local current-voltage characteristics indicates that the transport mechanism is similar for step-edges and terraces. Comparison of the results with those for control samples shows that the current enhancement is not a measurement artifact but instead is due to local differences in electronic properties. The likelihood of various possible mechanisms is discussed. The absence of enhancement at the step-edges for graphite terraces is consistent with the intriguing possibility that spin-orbit coupling and topological effects play a significant role in the step-edge current enhancement in Bi2Te3.",

keywords = "Bismuth telluride, atomic force microscopy, molecular beam epitaxy, topological insulators, van der Waals epitaxy",

author = "Macedo, {Rita J.} and Harrison, {Sara E.} and Dorofeeva, {Tatiana S.} and Harris, {James S.} and Kiehl, {Richard A.}",

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AU - Macedo, Rita J.

AU - Harrison, Sara E.

AU - Dorofeeva, Tatiana S.

AU - Harris, James S.

AU - Kiehl, Richard A.

PY - 2015/7/8

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N2 - The local electrical characteristics on the surface of MBE-grown Bi2Te3 are probed under ambient conditions by conductive atomic force microscopy. Nanoscale mapping reveals a 10-100× enhancement in current at step-edges compared to that on terraces. Analysis of the local current-voltage characteristics indicates that the transport mechanism is similar for step-edges and terraces. Comparison of the results with those for control samples shows that the current enhancement is not a measurement artifact but instead is due to local differences in electronic properties. The likelihood of various possible mechanisms is discussed. The absence of enhancement at the step-edges for graphite terraces is consistent with the intriguing possibility that spin-orbit coupling and topological effects play a significant role in the step-edge current enhancement in Bi2Te3.

AB - The local electrical characteristics on the surface of MBE-grown Bi2Te3 are probed under ambient conditions by conductive atomic force microscopy. Nanoscale mapping reveals a 10-100× enhancement in current at step-edges compared to that on terraces. Analysis of the local current-voltage characteristics indicates that the transport mechanism is similar for step-edges and terraces. Comparison of the results with those for control samples shows that the current enhancement is not a measurement artifact but instead is due to local differences in electronic properties. The likelihood of various possible mechanisms is discussed. The absence of enhancement at the step-edges for graphite terraces is consistent with the intriguing possibility that spin-orbit coupling and topological effects play a significant role in the step-edge current enhancement in Bi2Te3.

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KW - topological insulators

KW - van der Waals epitaxy

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