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Atomic Structure and Electronic Properties of Intermetallic CaBi 2 Thin Films.

Atomic Structure and Electronic Properties of Intermetallic CaBi 2 Thin Films.

Authors :
Lyu Y
Yuan H
Daneshmandi S
Huyan S
Chu CW
Source :
The journal of physical chemistry letters [J Phys Chem Lett] 2020 Jun 04; Vol. 11 (11), pp. 4385-4391. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 May 20.
Publication Year :
2020

Abstract

Intermetallic bismuth-based compounds have attracted great interest as promising candidates for novel topological superconductivity. Among them, CaBi <subscript>2</subscript> is a newly discovered member for which the atomic structure and electronic properties have never been systematically explored. Using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/S), we systematically characterized the atomic structure and electronic properties of CaBi <subscript>2</subscript> (010) thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and found that their growth follows a Stranski-Krastanov mode. A nonreconstructed I <subscript>Bi</subscript> layer and a (1 × 2) reconstructed II <subscript>Ca</subscript> layer were found to be the most common surfaces. Nonreconstructed III <subscript>Bi</subscript> and V <subscript>Ca</subscript> layers were further exposed with reduced bismuth growth flux. All of these constituent layers exhibit unique features in the STS spectra, indicating that unique electronic properties exist in each specific constituent layer. Our findings provide for deeper understanding of the physical properties of this compound and suggest further studies of the two-dimensional (2D) layered materials family.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1948-7185
Volume :
11
Issue :
11
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
The journal of physical chemistry letters
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
32406690
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c01126