Self-assembled Bismuth Selenide (Bi 2 Se 3 ) quantum dots grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Abstract

We report the growth of self-assembled Bi 2 Se 3 quantum dots (QDs) by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs substrates using the droplet epitaxy technique. The QD formation occurs after anneal of Bismuth droplets under Selenium flux. Characterization by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray reflectance spectroscopy is presented. Raman spectra confirm the QD quality. The quantum dots are crystalline, with hexagonal shape, and have average dimensions of 12-nm height (12 quintuple layers) and 46-nm width, and a density of 8.5 × 10 9 cm −2 . This droplet growth technique provides a means to produce topological insulator QDs in a reproducible and controllable way, providing convenient access to a promising quantum material with singular spin properties.