Crystal growth of Bi2Te3 and noble cleaved (0001) surface properties

A high quality Bi2Te3 crystal has been grown by Bridgman method with the use of rotating heat field. The phase purity and bulk structural quality of the crystal have been verified by XRD analysis and rocking curve observation. The atomically smooth Bi2Te3(0001) surface with an excellent crystallographic quality is formed by cleavage in the air. The chemical and microstructural properties of the surface have been evaluated with RHEED, AFM, STM, SE and XPS. The Bi2Te3(0001) cleaved surface is formed by atomically smooth terraces with the height of the elemental step of similar to 1.04 +/- 0.1 nm, as estimated by AFM. There is no surface oxidation process detected over a month keeping in the air at normal conditions, as shown by comparative core level photoelectron spectroscopy. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Inc