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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2025
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.07351 |
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Table of Contents:
- The free-standing monolayer Si$_2$Te$_2$ (ML-Si$_2$Te$_2$) has been theoretically predicted to host a room-temperature quantum spin Hall phase. However, its experimental realization remains challenge due to the absence of a three-dimensional counterpart. Here, we demonstrate that HfTe$_2$ serves as an ideal substrate for the epitaxial growth of ML-Si$_2$Te$_2$, preserving its topological phase. Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy confirm a strain-free ${(1 \times 1)}$ lattice of ML-Si$_2$Te$_2$, along with a sizable band gap, which is well captured by first-principles calculations. Moreover, distinct edge states, independent of step geometry and exhibiting a broad spatial distribution, are observed at ML-Si$_2$Te$_2$ step edges, underscoring its topological nature.