Investigation of growth characteristics and semimetal–semiconductor transition of polycrystalline bismuth thin films

Abstract

The preferred orientation growth characteristics and surface roughness of polycrystalline bismuth (Bi) thin films fabricated on glass substrates using the molecular beam epitaxy method were investigated at temperatures ranging from 18 to 150°C. The crystallization and morphology were analyzed in detail and the polycrystalline metal film structure-zone model (SZM) was modified to fit the polycrystalline Bi thin film. The boundary temperature between Zone T and Zone II in the SZM shifted to higher temperatures with the increase in film thickness or the decrease of growth rate. Furthermore, the effect of the thickness and surface roughness on the transport properties was investigated, especially for Bi thin films in Zone II. A two-transport channels model was adopted to reveal the influence of the film thickness on the competition between the metallic surface states and the semiconducting bulk states, which is consistent with the results of Bi single-crystal films. Therefore, the polycrystalline Bi thin films are expected to replace the single-crystal films in the application of spintronic devices.

Nanometer-Thick Bismuth Nanocrystal Films for Sensoric Applications

“…In addition, the texture coefficient was estimated for (012) peak and the (00 l ) family peaks according to the Harris method, describing the texture coefficient as where T hkl is denoted as the texture coefficient of the ( hkl ) crystal plane, I hkl is the measured intensity for the corresponding plane, I 0, hkl is the bulk intensity for the corresponding plane acquired from the MATCH! software entry used for the identification, and n is the crystal plane number.…”

“…In addition, the texture coefficient was estimated for (012) peak and the (00l) family peaks according to the Harris method, 20 describing the texture coefficient as…”

Growth condition effects on the structure evolution and electrical properties of low-melting-point bismuth films

“…To obtain more quantitative results, the resistance (R) values of Bi films with different growth rates are parameterized and fitted as a function of temperature (T), following the example in ref. 33 as follows:…”

Van Der Waals Epitaxial Growth of Bismuth Thin-film on Silicon (111) Substrate by MBE

“…Because of the small effective mass in certain orientations and the low intrinsic carrier density, using quantum-size effect to realize the semi-metal/semiconductor transition in Bi thin-film have drawn attentions for decades [1][2]. In addition, recent researches on the surface of (0003) Bi observed metallic surface states formed by spin-orbital interaction [3][4], revealing that the potential applications of Bi and Bi-based materials to the magnetic devices.…”

“…Various substrates including Si, BaF2 and glass have been used for the growth of Bi thin film [2,[7][8][9][10]. Among them, Si substrate is of great importance because it is the platform of integrated circuits.…”