Mastering the growth of antimonene on Bi2Se3: Strategies and insights

Applied Physics Reviews. 2025. Vol. 12. No. 1. Article 011336.

Flammini R., Hogan C., Colonna S., Ronci F., Satta M., Papagno M., Aliev Z. S., Sergey V. Eremeev, Evgueni V. Chulkov, Benher Z. R., Gardonio S., Petaccia L., Di Santo G., Carbone C., Moras P., Sheverdyaeva P. M.

Antimonene, the two-dimensional phase of antimony, appears in two distinct allotropes when epitaxially grown on Bi2Se3: the puckered asymmetric washboard (alpha) and buckled honeycomb (beta) bilayer structures. As-deposited antimony films exhibit varying proportions of single alpha and beta structures. We identify the conditions necessary for ordered, pure-phase growth of single to triple beta-antimonene bilayers. Additionally, we determine their electronic structure, work function, and characteristic core-level binding energies, offering an explanation for the relatively large chemical shifts observed among the different phases. This study not only establishes a protocol for achieving a single beta phase of antimonene but also provides key signatures for distinguishing between the different allotropes using standard spectroscopic and microscopic techniques.

Keywords: topological insulator, топологический изолятор, электронная структура, Electronic structure, Antimonene, antimony films, Антимонен, плёнки сурьмы

Publication based on the results of: Quantum devices and technologies of the new generation (2025)