Epitaxial growth and characterization of SnSe phases on Au(111).
Federico FrezzaAna Sanchez-GrandeMartin OndracekMartin VondráčekQifan ChenOleksandr StetsovychVictor Villalobos-VildaEzequiel TosiFrancisco Javier PalomaresMaria Francisca Lopez FagundezCarlos SanchezKarl-Heinz ErnstJosé Angel Martín GagoJan HonolkaPavel JelínekPublished in: Journal of physics. Condensed matter : an Institute of Physics journal (2023)
Two-dimensional (2D) layered group IV-VI semiconductors attract great interest due to their potential applications in nanoelectronics. Depending on the dimensionality, different phases of the same material can present completely different electronic and optical properties, expanding its applications. Here, we present a combined experimental and theoretical study of the atomic structure and electronic properties of epitaxial SnSe structures grown on a metallic Au(111) substrate, forming almost defect-free 2D layers. We describe a coverage-dependent transition from a metallic β-SnSe to a semiconducting α-SnSe phase. The combination of scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy, non-contact atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy/diffraction and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, complemented by density functional theory, provides a comprehensive study of the geometric and electronic structure of both phases. Our work demonstrates the possibility to grow two distinct SnSe phases on Au(111) with high quality and on a large scale. The strong interaction with the substrate allows the stabilization of the previously experimentally unreported β-SnSe, while the ultra-thin films of orthorhombic α-SnSe are structurally and electronically equivalent to bulk SnSe.
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