Growth and characterization of topological insulator Bi2Se3 thin films on SrTiO3 using pulsed laser deposition

Abstract Bismuth selenide (Bi 2 Se 3 ) thin films were grown on SrTiO 3 (111) (STO) substrates using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The structural, morphological, electrical, and transport properties were studied at various substrate temperatures ( T S ) from 120 to 350 °C. Amorphous films grown at T S T S ≥ 180 °C exhibited metallic behavior. Bi 2 Se 3 thin-films were epitaxially grown on STO substrates at 300 and 350 °C. Thickness-dependent characteristics were also investigated for optimized Bi 2 Se 3 films deposited at T S = 230 °C. The semiconducting or metallic characteristics of Bi 2 Se 3 films prepared using PLD were observed through electrical and transport results.