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Scientific ReportsVolume 7, Issue 1, 1 December 2017, Article number 5758

Bulk vs. Surface Structure of 3d Metal Impurities in Topological Insulator Bi2Te3(Article)(Open Access)

  • Leedahl, B.,
  • Boukhvalov, D.W.,
  • Kurmaev, E.Z.,
  • Kukharenko, A.,
  • Zhidkov, I.S.,
  • Gavrilov, N.V.,
  • Cholakh, S.O.,
  • Le, P.H.,
  • Luo, C.W.,
  • Moewes, A.
  • View Correspondence (jump link)
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  • aDepartment of Physics and Engineering Physics, University of Saskatchewan, 116 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E2, Canada
  • bDepartment of Chemistry, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-Ro, Seoul, 04763, South Korea
  • cTheoretical Physics and Applied Mathematics Department, Ural Federal University, Mira Street 19, Yekaterinburg, 620002, Russian Federation
  • dM.N.Mikheev Institute of Metal Physics of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, S. Kovalevskoi 18 str., Yekaterinburg, 620990, Russian Federation
  • eInstitute of Physics and Technology, Ural Federal University, Mira 19 St., Yekaterinburg, 620002, Russian Federation
  • fInstitute of Electrophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences-Ural Division, Yekaterinburg, 620016, Russian Federation
  • gDepartment of Electrophysics, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 30010, Taiwan
  • hFaculty of Basic Sciences, Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 179 Nguyen Van Cu Street, Can Tho, Viet Nam

Abstract

Topological insulators have become one of the most prominent research topics in materials science in recent years. Specifically, Bi2Te3 is one of the most promising for technological applications due to its conductive surface states and insulating bulk properties. Herein, we contrast the bulk and surface structural environments of dopant ions Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu in Bi2Te3 thin films in order to further elucidate this compound. Our measurements show the preferred oxidation state and surrounding crystal environment of each 3d-metal atomic species, and how they are incorporated into Bi2Te3. We show that in each case there is a unique interplay between structural environments, and that it is highly dependant on the dopant atom. Mn impurities in Bi2Te3 purely substitute into Bi sites in a 2+ oxidation state. Cr atoms seem only to reside on the surface and are effectively not able to be absorbed into the bulk. Whereas for Co and Ni, an array of substitutional, interstitial, and metallic configurations occur. Considering the relatively heavy Cu atoms, metallic clusters are highly favourable. The situation with Fe is even more complex, displaying a mix of oxidation states that differ greatly between the surface and bulk environments. © 2017 The Author(s).

  • ISSN: 20452322
  • Source Type: Journal
  • Original language: English
  • DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-06069-3
  • PubMed ID: 28720873
  • Document Type: Article
  • Publisher: Nature Publishing Group

  Leedahl, B.; Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, University of Saskatchewan, 116 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, Canada;
© Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

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