The authors study the composition and abruptness of the interfacial layers that form during deposition and patterning of a ferromagnet, Fe on a topological insulator (TI), Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3, and SiOx/Bi2Te3. Such structures are potentially useful for spintronics. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, including interfacial elemental mapping, confirms that Fe reacts with Bi2Se3 near room temperature, forming an abrupt 5 nm thick FeSe0.92 single crystalline binary phase, predominantly (001) oriented, with lattice fringe spacing of 0.55 nm. In contrast, Fe/Bi2Te3 forms a polycrystalline Fe/TI interfacial alloy that can be prevented by the addition of an evaporated SiOx separating Fe from the TI.
Keyphrases
- room temperature
- ionic liquid
- metal organic framework
- molecular dynamics simulations
- cross sectional
- aqueous solution
- photodynamic therapy
- high resolution
- electron transfer
- magnetic resonance
- electron microscopy
- magnetic resonance imaging
- visible light
- computed tomography
- single molecule
- density functional theory
- contrast enhanced