Spiral growth without dislocations: molecular beam epitaxy of the topological insulator Bi2Se3 on epitaxial graphene/SiC(0001)

We report a new mechanism that does not require the formation of interfacial dislocations to mediate spiral growth during molecular beam epitaxy of Bi2Se3. Based on in situ scanning tunneling microscopy observations, we find that Bi2Se3 growth on epitaxial graphene/SiC(0001) initiates with two-dimensional (2D) nucleation, and that the spiral growth ensues with the pinning of the 2D growth fronts at jagged steps of the substrate or at domain boundaries created during the coalescence of the 2D islands. Winding of the as-created growth fronts around these pinning centers leads to spirals. The mechanism can be broadly applied to the growth of other van der Waals materials on weakly interacting substrates. We further confirm, using scanning tunneling spectroscopy, that the one-dimensional helical mode of a line defect is not supported in strong topological insulators such as Bi2Se3.