A bismuth triiodide monosheet on Bi2Se3(0001).

A stable BiI3 monosheet has been grown for the first time on the (0001) surface of the topological insulator Bi2Se3 as confirmed by scanning tunnelling microscopy, surface X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoemision spectroscopy. BiI3 is deposited by molecular beam epitaxy from the crystalline BiTeI precursor that undergoes decomposition sublimation. The key fragment of the bulk BiI3 structure, [Formula: see text][I-Bi-I] layer of edge-sharing BiI6 octahedra, is preserved in the ultra-thin film limit, but exhibits large atomic relaxations. The stacking sequence of the trilayers and alternations of the Bi-I distances in the monosheet are the same as in the bulk BiI3 structure. Momentum resolved photoemission spectroscopy indicates a direct band gap of 1.2 eV. The Dirac surface state is completely destroyed and a new flat band appears in the band gap of the BiI3 film that could be interpreted as an interface state.