Breaking crystalline symmetry of epitaxial SnTe films by strain

Steffen Schreyeck, Karl Brunner, Laurens W. Molenkamp, Grzegorz Karczewski, Martin Schmitt, Paolo Sessi, Matthias Vogt, Stefan Wilfert, Artem B. Odobesko, and Matthias Bode
Phys. Rev. Materials 3, 024203 – Published 12 February 2019

Abstract

SnTe belongs to the recently discovered class of topological crystalline insulators. Here, we study the formation of line defects which break crystalline symmetry by strain in thin SnTe films. Strained SnTe(111) films are grown by molecular beam epitaxy on lattice and thermal expansion coefficient-mismatched CdTe. To analyze the structural properties of the SnTe films, we applied in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction, x-ray reflectometry, high-resolution x-ray diffraction, reciprocal space mapping, and scanning tunneling microscopy. This comprehensive analytical approach reveals a twinned structure, tensile strain, bilayer surface steps, and dislocation line defects forming a highly ordered dislocation network for thick films with local strains up to 31% breaking the translational crystal symmetry.

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  • Received 30 November 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.3.024203

©2019 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Steffen Schreyeck*, Karl Brunner, and Laurens W. Molenkamp

  • Institute for Topological Insulators and Physikalisches Institut, Experimentelle Physik III, Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany

Grzegorz Karczewski

  • Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Aleja Lotników 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland

Martin Schmitt, Paolo Sessi, Matthias Vogt, Stefan Wilfert, Artem B. Odobesko, and Matthias Bode

  • Physikalisches Institut, Experimentelle Physik II, Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany

  • *sschreyeck@physik.uni-wuerzburg.de
  • maschmitt@physik.uni-wuerzburg.de

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Issue

Vol. 3, Iss. 2 — February 2019

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