Graphene intercalation of the large gap quantum spin Hall insulator bismuthene

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Gehrig, Lukas, Schmitt, Cedric, Erhardt, Jonas, Liu, Bing, Wagner, Tim, Kamp, Martin, Moser, Simon, Claessen, Ralph
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Gehrig, Lukas
Schmitt, Cedric
Erhardt, Jonas
Liu, Bing
Wagner, Tim
Kamp, Martin
Moser, Simon
Claessen, Ralph
author_facet Gehrig, Lukas
Schmitt, Cedric
Erhardt, Jonas
Liu, Bing
Wagner, Tim
Kamp, Martin
Moser, Simon
Claessen, Ralph
contents The quantum spin Hall insulator bismuthene, a two-third monolayer of bismuth on SiC(0001), is distinguished by helical metallic edge states that are protected by a groundbreaking 800 meV topological gap, making it ideal for room temperature applications. This massive gap inversion arises from a unique synergy between flat honeycomb structure, strong spin orbit coupling, and an orbital filtering effect that is mediated by the substrate. However, the rapid oxidation of bismuthene in air has severely hindered the development of applications, so far confining experiments to ultra-high vacuum conditions. Here, we successfully overcome this barrier, intercalating bismuthene between SiC and a protective sheet of graphene. As we demonstrate through scanning tunneling microscopy and photoemission spectroscopy, graphene intercalation preserves the structural and topological integrity of bismuthene, while effectively shielding it from oxidation in air. We identify hydrogen as the critical component that was missing in previous bismuth intercalation attempts. Our findings facilitate ex-situ experiments and pave the way for the development of bismuthene based devices, signaling a significant step forward in the development of next-generation technologies.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_01592
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Graphene intercalation of the large gap quantum spin Hall insulator bismuthene
Gehrig, Lukas
Schmitt, Cedric
Erhardt, Jonas
Liu, Bing
Wagner, Tim
Kamp, Martin
Moser, Simon
Claessen, Ralph
Materials Science
The quantum spin Hall insulator bismuthene, a two-third monolayer of bismuth on SiC(0001), is distinguished by helical metallic edge states that are protected by a groundbreaking 800 meV topological gap, making it ideal for room temperature applications. This massive gap inversion arises from a unique synergy between flat honeycomb structure, strong spin orbit coupling, and an orbital filtering effect that is mediated by the substrate. However, the rapid oxidation of bismuthene in air has severely hindered the development of applications, so far confining experiments to ultra-high vacuum conditions. Here, we successfully overcome this barrier, intercalating bismuthene between SiC and a protective sheet of graphene. As we demonstrate through scanning tunneling microscopy and photoemission spectroscopy, graphene intercalation preserves the structural and topological integrity of bismuthene, while effectively shielding it from oxidation in air. We identify hydrogen as the critical component that was missing in previous bismuth intercalation attempts. Our findings facilitate ex-situ experiments and pave the way for the development of bismuthene based devices, signaling a significant step forward in the development of next-generation technologies.
title Graphene intercalation of the large gap quantum spin Hall insulator bismuthene
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.01592