Epitaxial growth of 2D manganese dibromide thin films on Au(111) with buffering overlayers
Zhanze Wang1,2, Mingyue Sun1,2, Yuedong Wang3
1Joint School of National University of Singapore and Tianjin University, The International Joint Institute of Tianjin University, Fuzhou, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P. R. China. hyl@fztju.org.cn.
Abstract:
As promising candidates for two-dimensional (2D) magnetic semiconductors, layered transition metal halides (TMHs) have attracted increasing interest due to their diverse insulating bandgaps and magnetic properties. Here, we report the epitaxial growth of atomically thin MnBr2 films on Au(111) by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) reveals the initial formation of different buffering layers with distinct atomic structures on the Au(111) surface, followed by the subsequent growth of MnBr2 layers. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirms that Mn atoms are in different coordination environments in the buffering layers (MnBrx, x < 2) from MnBr2 crystals. The electronic properties of MnBr2 thin films with different thicknesses are investigated by scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, showing that the electronic band structures are nearly independent of the thickness and the Au(111) substrate. This study provides a better insight into the growth behavior and interfacial properties of 2D layered TMHs on metal substrates.
