Electronic Structure of Designed [(Snse)1+D ]M [Tise2]
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Invited Paper DOI: 10.1557/jmr.2019.128 Electronic structure of designed [(SnSe)1+d]m[TiSe2]2 heterostructure thin films with tunable layering sequence https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2019.128 . Fabian Göhler1 , Danielle M. Hamann2, Niels Rösch1, Susanne Wolff1, Jacob T. Logan2, Robert Fischer2, Florian Speck1, David C. Johnson2, Thomas Seyller1,a) 1Institute of Physics, Chemnitz University of Technology, D-09126 Chemnitz, Germany 2Department of Chemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97401, USA a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: [email protected] Received: 18 February 2019; accepted: 21 March 2019 fi m A series of [(SnSe)1+d]m[TiSe2]2 heterostructure thin lms built up from repeating units of bilayers of SnSe and two layers of TiSe2 were synthesized from designed precursors. The electronic structure of the films was https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for samples with m = 1, 2, 3, and 7 and compared to binary samples of TiSe2 and SnSe. The observed binding energies of core levels and valence bands of the heterostructures are largely independent of m. For the SnSe layers, we can observe a rigid band shift in the heterostructures compared to the binary, which can be explained by electron transfer from SnSe to TiSe2. The electronic structure of the TiSe2 layers shows a more complicated behavior, as a small shift can be observed in the valence band and Se3d spectra, but the Ti2p core level remains at a constant energy. Complementary UV photoemission spectroscopy measurements confirm a charge transfer mechanism where the SnSe layers donate electrons into empty Ti3d states at the Fermi energy. Introduction sequence is limited to a few thermodynamically stable compounds accessible via high-temperature synthesis , subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at The stacking of two-dimensional layers into heterostruc- tures with emerging properties is currently at the forefront approaches [10, 11, 12]. Preparing samples with the desired stacking arrangements of materials science research [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Understanding is a great challenge in the experimental study of two- the interactions between layers is of paramount importance, dimensional materials and heterostructures. High-quality sam- especially when considering the effects of different stacking ples and devices can be prepared by manual mechanical arrangements. For example, single layers of graphene exhibit stacking of exfoliated layers [13]. To pave the way toward much improved carrier mobility when they are placed on [6] www.mrs.org/jmr wafer scale production, different scalable manufacturing tech- j or encapsulated between [7] hexagonal boron nitride instead niques, such as sequential chemical vapor deposition (CVD), of resting on a silicon oxide substrate, and the super- direct growth of TMDC heterostructures by vapor–solid conducting critical temperature of the NbSe2 layers in Jun 28, 2019 reactions, and van der Waals epitaxy, have been under j [(SnSe)11d]m(NbSe2)1 is found to decrease with increasing consideration [14], but different growth conditions for each SnSe content due to charge transfer between layers [8]. layer limit the complexity that may be achieved [15]. Issue 12 j . University of Oregon Library, on 03 Jul 2019 at 15:24:25 Changing the composition and stacking sequence of layers A developing approach to heterostructures that enables in heterostructures consisting of MoS2 and WS2 allows for wafer scale samples is the self-assembly of designed precursors the fabrication of devices with tunable tunnel resistance or consisting of a repeating sequence of deposited elemental Volume 34 j band-engineered tunnel diodes [9]. The misfit layer chalco- layers. By precisely controlling constituents and layering genides, consisting of alternating layers of a metal chalco- sequences of the precursors, a virtually unlimited number of genide and a transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC), are heterostructures can be realized experimentally [16, 17]. While a promising class of materials for thermoelectric applica- this self-assembly approach can produce specific stacking https://www.cambridge.org/core tions, but the control over composition and layering sequences, the rotational orientation of the layers cannot be Journal of Materials Research j ª Materials Research Society 2019 cambridge.org/JMR 1965 Downloaded from Invited Paper controlled, resulting in a random rotational alignment of the prior studies. An annealing study completed on TiSe2 pre- layers with respect to each other [18]. viously reports the ideal annealing temperature to be 350 °C for Here, we explore the electronic properties of [(SnSe)11d]m 30 min when annealed in an N2 atmosphere with less than 0.5 fi (TiSe2)n heterostructures, consisting of m bilayers of SnSe and ppm of oxygen present [29]. In a recent study, SnSe lms were n layers of TiSe2 in the supercell. Prior research on the (MS)11d crystallized at 350 °C for 30 min in an N2 atmosphere [30]. fi 5 (TiS2)2 mis t layer compounds showed that the intergrowths An annealing study of the m 3 precursor was conducted containing M 5 Sn are of special interest for thermoelectric to determine the best annealing temperature to crystallize the fi applications [19], and high Seebeck coef cients sensitive to the targeted [(SnSe)11d]m[TiSe2]2 compounds. Figure 1 contains layering sequence have been observed in similar selenide the X-ray reflectivity (XRR), specular XRD, and in-plane XRD https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2019.128 5 . compounds grown via self-assembly of designed precursors data collected on the m 3 precursor as it was annealed at the [20, 21]. In contrast to the rotational disorder usually present in indicated temperatures for 30 min. The as deposited XRR samples prepared by this synthesis approach, samples with pattern contains both Kiessig fringes and the first three Bragg m 5 n 5 1 showed relatively large regions with long-range order reflections resulting from the repeating sequence of elemental [22]. A series of samples with m 5 1, ..., 4 and n 5 1 showed layers. The Kiessig fringes result from interference between the unusual transport behavior [23], emphasizing the importance of front and back of the film and depend on the smoothness of furthering the understanding of the electronic interactions in this these interfaces. As the sample is annealed at increasing kind of system. Finding proof for the presence of a potential temperatures, the fringes extend out to higher angles indicating charge transfer into TiSe2 is of special interest, since the smoother interfaces. Above 450 °C, the Kiessig fringes decrease https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms fi controlled doping of TiSe2 can be used to nely tune electronic in intensity. By 500 °C, the Kiessig fringes are gone, indicating transitions such as charge density waves or superconductivity that the film has become significantly rougher. The diffraction [24, 25]. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has proven to maxima in the XRR scans result from the artificial layering of be an effective method to investigate the electronic structure of the designed precursor from the sequence of deposited ele- these systems, as evidence for electron transfer from the metal mental layers. As the sample is annealed to higher temper- selenide layer (M 5 Pb or Sn) into the transition metal atures, these reflections shift to higher angles, indicating that fl dichalcogenide layer was found for (MSe)11d(NbSe2)2 [26]. In the repeat unit thickness is getting smaller. The re ections this work, photoelectron spectroscopy was used on a series of become commensurate with the 00l reflections present at 5 fi [(SnSe)11d]m[TiSe2]2 compounds with m 1, 2, 3, and 7, as well higher angles as the arti cial layering evolves into the product. as binary samples of the constituents TiSe2 and SnSe. Above 450 °C, the Bragg reflections decrease in intensity. After the 500 °C annealing, some of the Bragg reflections are no longer visible, indicating that the metastable product is decom- Synthesis and structure posing. The reflections in the as-deposited specular diffraction , subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at fl Binary SnSe and TiSe2 and a series of [(SnSe)11d]m[TiSe2]2 pattern can all be indexed as 00l re ections. As the sample is heterostructures with m 5 1, 2, 3, and 7 and were prepared annealed at increasing temperatures, additional reflections from designed amorphous precursors by physical vapor de- grow in and the reflections systematically shift to higher angles, position. A repeating sequence of elemental Ti, Sn, and Se indicating that the c-axis lattice parameter is decreasing. The layers was deposited in an order that mimicked the architecture diffraction pattern after annealing at 350 °C contains the most of the desired product [20, 23, 27]. For example, to make the m reflections. After annealing at this temperature, the reflections www.mrs.org/jmr 5 2 compound, the repeating sequence TijSejTijSejSnjSejSnjSe all have similar line widths and can be indexed as 00l j j j fl was deposited. For the Sn Se and Ti Se bilayers, a 1:1 ratio of Sn reflections of [(SnSe)11d]m[TiSe2]2. The re ections broaden to Se and a 1:2 ratio of Ti to Se, respectively, were targeted with and are reduced in intensity when annealed at 400 °C or higher, Jun 28, 2019 a layer thickness similar to that of the desired product. The indicating that the desired product is decomposing. The in- j sequence of bilayers was repeated until a sample of about plane diffraction pattern of the as deposited sample contains 50 nm in total film thickness was reached. The amount of reflections that can be indexed as those from a rectangular and Issue 12 j . University of Oregon Library, on 03 Jul 2019 at 15:24:25 material required to obtain the correct ratio in the SnjSe layers a hexagonal unit cell.