Molecular beam epitaxy growth of monolayer hexagonal MnTe2 on Si(111) substrate

Monolayer MnTe₂ stabilized as 1T structure has been theoretically predicted to be a two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetic metal and can be tuned via strain engineering. There is no naturally van der Waals (vdW) layered MnTe₂ bulk, leaving mechanical exfoliation impossible to prepare monolayer MnTe₂. Herein, by means of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), we successfully prepared monolayer hexagonal MnTe₂ on Si(111) under Te rich condition. Sharp reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) patterns suggest the monolayer is atomically flat without surface reconstruction. The valence state of Mn⁴⁺ and the atom ratio of ([Te]:[Mn]) further confirm the MnTe₂ compound. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) shows the hexagonal MnTe₂ monolayer is a semiconductor with a large bandgap of ~2.78 eV. The valence-band maximum (VBM) locates at the Γ point, as illustrated by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), below which three hole-type bands with parabolic dispersion can be identified. The successful synthesis of monolayer MnTe₂ film provides a new platform to investigate the 2D magnetism.     

Band Structures of Ultrathin Bi(110) Films on Black Phosphorus Substrates Using Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy

The band structures of two-monolayer Bi(110) films on black phosphorus substrates are studied using angleresolved photoemission spectroscopy. Within the band gap of bulk black phosphorus, the electronic states near the Fermi level are dominated by the Bi(110) film. The band dispersions revealed by our data suggest that the orientation of the Bi(110) film is aligned with the black phosphorus substrate. The electronic structures of the Bi(110) film strongly deviate from the band calculations of the free-standing Bi(110) film, suggesting that the substrate can significantly affect the electronic states in the Bi(110) film. Our data show that there are no non-trivial electronic states in Bi(110) films grown on black phosphorus substrates.     

Observation of multiple charge density wave phases in epitaxial monolayer 1T-VSe2 film

As a special order of electronic correlation induced by spatial modulation, the charge density wave (CDW) phenomena in condensed matters attract enormous research interests. Here, using scanning—tunneling microscopy in various temperatures, we discover a hidden incommensurate stripe-like CDW order besides the ($sqrt{7}$ × $sqrt{3}$) CDW phase at low-temperature of 4 K in the epitaxial monolayer 1T-VSe₂} film. Combining the variable-temperature angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopic (ARPES) measurements, we discover a two-step transition of an anisotropic CDW gap structure that consists of two parts Δ₁ and Δ₂. The gap part Δ₁ that closes around ～ 150 K is accompanied with the vanish of the ($sqrt{7}$ × $sqrt{3}$) CDW phase. While another momentum-dependent gap part Δ₂ can survive up to ～ 340 K, and is suggested to the result of the incommensurate CDW phase. This two-step transition with anisotropic gap opening and the resulted evolution in ARPES spectra are corroborated by our theoretical calculation based on a phenomenological form for the self-energy containing a two-gap structure Δ₁ + Δ₂, which suggests different forming mechanisms between the ($sqrt{7}$ × $sqrt{3}$) and the incommensurate CDW phases. Our findings provide significant information and deep understandings on the CDW phases in monolayer 1T-VSe₂} film as a two-dimensional (2D) material.