Growth and surface potential characterization of Bi2Te3 nanoplates

Topological insulator Bi2Te3 nanoplates with hexagonal, triangular and truncated triangular nanostructures have been fabricated with thickness of ∼10 nm by vacuum vapor phase deposition method. The possible formation mechanism of Bi2Te3 nanoplates with different nanostructures has been proposed. We...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Guolin Hao, Xiang Qi, Liwen Yang, Yundan Liu, Jun Li, Long Ren, Fu Sun, Jianxin Zhong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AIP Publishing LLC 2012-03-01
Series:AIP Advances
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3679160
Description
Summary:Topological insulator Bi2Te3 nanoplates with hexagonal, triangular and truncated triangular nanostructures have been fabricated with thickness of ∼10 nm by vacuum vapor phase deposition method. The possible formation mechanism of Bi2Te3 nanoplates with different nanostructures has been proposed. We have examined the surface potentials of Bi2Te3 nanoplates using Kelvin probe force microscopy. The surface potential of Bi2Te3 nanoplates is determined to be about 482 mV on the SiO2/Si substrate, 88 mV and -112 mV on the n-doped and p-doped Si (111) substrates, respectively. The surface potential information provides insight into understanding electronic properties of Bi2Te3 nanoplates, which may open a new door to the exploration of the topological insulators.
ISSN:2158-3226