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SnTe microcrystals : surface cleaning of a topological crystalline insulator
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Saghir, Mohammad, Walker, Marc, McConville, C. F. and Balakrishnan, Geetha (2016) SnTe microcrystals : surface cleaning of a topological crystalline insulator. Applied Physics Letters, 108 (6). 061602. doi:10.1063/1.4941234 ISSN 0003-6951.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4941234
Abstract
Investigating nanometer and micron sized materials thought to exhibit topological surface properties that can present a challenge, as clean surfaces are a pre-requisite for band structure measurements when using nano-ARPES or laser-ARPES in ultra-high vacuum. This issue is exacerbated when dealing with nanometer or micron sized materials, which have been prepared ex-situ and so have been exposed to atmosphere. We present the findings of an XPS study where various cleaning methods have been employed to reduce the surface contamination and preserve the surface quality for surface sensitive measurements. Microcrystals of the topological crystalline insulator SnTe were grown ex-situ and transferred into ultra high vacuum (UHV) before being treated with either atomic hydrogen, argon sputtering, annealing, or a combination of treatments. The samples were also characterised using the scanning electron microscopy, both before and after treatment. It was found that atomic hydrogen cleaning with an anneal cycle (200 C) gave the best clean surface results.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||
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Subjects: | Q Science > QC Physics | ||||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Physics | ||||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Nanostructured materials, Surfaces (Physics) -- Measurement | ||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Applied Physics Letters | ||||||
Publisher: | AIP Publishing | ||||||
ISSN: | 0003-6951 | ||||||
Official Date: | 8 February 2016 | ||||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | 108 | ||||||
Number: | 6 | ||||||
Article Number: | 061602 | ||||||
DOI: | 10.1063/1.4941234 | ||||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||||
Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access | ||||||
Copyright Holders: | AIP Publishing LLC | ||||||
Date of first compliant deposit: | 24 April 2017 | ||||||
Date of first compliant Open Access: | 25 April 2017 | ||||||
Funder: | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Science City Research Alliance, Advantage West Midlands (AWM), European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) | ||||||
Grant number: | EP/L014963/1 (EPSRC) |
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