Abstract
The layered polar semiconductor BiTeI exhibits large Rashba-type spin–orbit splittings in its bulk and surface electronic structure. Here we report an artificial structural modification near the surface of BiTeI(0001) induced by annealing in vacuum. Using scanning tunneling microscopy we show that the annealing-induced change in the near-surface stoichiometry results in a structural change from a non-centrosymmetric triple-layered to a quintuple-layered structure. The structural change gives rise to the emergence of topological surface states with helical spin texture as demonstrated by angle-resolved photoemission experiments and relativistic first-principles calculations. The results provide a way to modify the electronic structure of layered materials by a controlled manipulation of the atomic stacking sequences.
Highlights
Exploiting the spin–orbit interaction in heavy-element semiconductors for electrical spin manipulation provides perspectives for spintronic applications [1,2,3]
In order to utilize these effects in spintronic applications it is crucial to establish ways that allow for a controlled manipulation of Rashba-split and topological states
We start our discussion of the structural change at the BiTeI(0001) surface on the basis of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments
Summary
Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Oleg E Tereshchenko4,5,7, Konstantin A Kokh4,7,8, Evgueni V Chulkov3,4,9,10, Hendrik Bentmann1 and Friedrich Reinert1 Any further distribution of 9 Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), E-20018 San Sebastián/Donostia, Basque Country, Spain this work must maintain 10 Departamento de Física de Materiales and Centro Mixto CSIC-UPV/EHU, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad del Pais Vasco/ Keywords: topological insulator, Rashba effect, spin–orbit interaction at surfaces
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