Applied Materials & Interfaces (2021)
Integration of the Rhombohedral BiSb(0001) Topological Insulator on a Cubic GaAs(001) Substrate
Bismuth–antimony alloy (Bi1 – xSbx) is the first reported 3D topological insulator (TI). Among many TIs reported to date, it remains the most promising for spintronic applications thanks to its large conductivity, its colossal spin Hall angle, and the possibility to build low-current spin-orbit-torque magnetoresistive random access memories. Nevertheless, the 2D integration of TIs on industrial standards is lacking. In this work, we report the integration of high-quality rhombohedral BiSb(0001) topological insulators on a cubic GaAs(001) substrate. We demonstrate a clear epitaxial relationship at the interface, a fully relaxed TI layer, and the growth of a rhombohedral matrix on top of the cubic substrate. The antimony composition of the Bi1 – xSbx layer is perfectly controlled and covers almost the whole TI window. For optimized growth conditions, the sample generates a semiconductor band structure at room temperature in the bulk and exhibits metallic surface states at 77 K.
