Growth and characterization of topological insulator Bi2Se3 thin films on SrTiO3 using pulsed laser deposition

Abstract

Bismuth selenide (Bi2Se3) thin films were grown on SrTiO3(111) (STO) substrates using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The structural, morphological, electrical, and transport properties were studied at various substrate temperatures (T-S) from 120 to 350 degrees C. Amorphous films grown at T-S < 180 degrees C exhibited semiconducting behavior, and highly c-axis-oriented textured films deposited at T-S >= 180 degrees C exhibited metallic behavior. Bi2Se3 thin-films were epitaxially grown on STO substrates at 300 and 350 degrees C. Thickness-dependent characteristics were also investigated for optimized Bi2Se3 films deposited at T-S = 230 degrees C. The semiconducting or metallic characteristics of Bi2Se3 films prepared using PLD were observed through electrical and transport results. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.