Modification of the van der Waals interaction at the ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{3}$ and Ge(111) interface

Modification of the van der Waals interaction at the ${Bi}_{2} {Te}_{3}$ and Ge(111) interface

Kenji Nawa, Demie Kepaptsoglou, Arsham Ghasemi, Philip Hasnip, Guillermo Bárcena-González, Giuseppe Nicotra, Pedro L. Galindo, Quentin M. Ramasse, Kohji Nakamura, Susannah C. Speller, Barat Achinuq, Thorsten Hesjedal, and Vlado K. Lazarov

Phys. Rev. Materials 5, 024203 – Published 12 February 2021

Abstract

We present a structural and density-functional theory study of the interface of the quasi-twin-free grown three-dimensional topological insulator ${Bi}_{2} {Te}_{3}$ on Ge(111). Aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy in combination with first-principles calculations show that the weak van der Waals adhesion between the ${Bi}_{2} {Te}_{3}$ quintuple layer and Ge can be overcome by forming an additional Te layer at their interface. The first-principles calculations of the formation energy of the additional Te layer show it to be energetically favorable as a result of the strong hybridization between the Te and Ge.

Received 7 September 2020
Accepted 28 January 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.5.024203

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Electronic structure First-principles calculations Interface & surface thermodynamics Topological materials

Electron energy loss spectroscopy High-resolution electron microscopy Transmission electron microscopy

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Kenji Nawa ^1,2, Demie Kepaptsoglou ^3,4,*, Arsham Ghasemi³, Philip Hasnip³, Guillermo Bárcena-González⁵, Giuseppe Nicotra⁶, Pedro L. Galindo ⁵, Quentin M. Ramasse ^4,7, Kohji Nakamura², Susannah C. Speller⁸, Barat Achinuq⁹, Thorsten Hesjedal ^9,†, and Vlado K. Lazarov^3,‡

¹Research Center for Magnetic and Spintronic Materials, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047, Japan
²Department of Physics Engineering, Mie University, 1577 Kurima-machiya, Tsu, Mie 514–8507, Japan
³Department of Physics, University of York, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
⁴SuperSTEM Laboratory, SciTech Daresbury Campus, Daresbury WA4 4AD, United Kingdom
⁵Department of Computer Engineering, ESI, University of Cádiz, 11510, Puerto Real, Spain
⁶CNR-IMM, Strada VIII, 5, 95121 Catania, Italy
⁷School of Chemical and Process Engineering and School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
⁸Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PH, United Kingdom
⁹Department of Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom

^*dmkepap@superstem.org
^†Thorsten.Hesjedal@physics.ox.ac.uk
^‡vlado.lazarov@york.ac.uk

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Vol. 5, Iss. 2 — February 2021

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Physical Review Materials

Modification of the van der Waals interaction at the Bi2Te3 and Ge(111) interface

Kenji Nawa, Demie Kepaptsoglou, Arsham Ghasemi, Philip Hasnip, Guillermo Bárcena-González, Giuseppe Nicotra, Pedro L. Galindo, Quentin M. Ramasse, Kohji Nakamura, Susannah C. Speller, Barat Achinuq, Thorsten Hesjedal, and Vlado K. Lazarov

Phys. Rev. Materials 5, 024203 – Published 12 February 2021

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Modification of the van der Waals interaction at the ${Bi}_{2} {Te}_{3}$ and Ge(111) interface