Progress in Physics

Progress in Physics ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (1): 13-21.doi: 10.13725/j.cnki.pip.2026.01.002

Special Issue: 2026年, 第46卷

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Atomic-scale characterization of epitaxial Bi(110)/VTe2 bilayer heterostructure

WANG Qiwei1, LI Shaochun1,2   

  1. 1. National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Jiangsu Physical Science Research Center, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Nanotechnology, School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China 2. Hefei National Laboratory, Hefei 230088, Chin
  • Online:2026-02-20 Published:2026-02-24
  • Supported by:
    National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2021YFA1400403), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 12374183, 92165205), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. BK20233001), the Innovation Program for Quantum Science and Technology (Grant No. 2021ZD0302800) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. 020414380207).

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Abstract:

Interplay between topology and magnetism can give rise to exotic properties in topological materials. Two-dimensional bismuth has been extensively studied owing to its topological states with a strong spin-orbit coupling, and 1T-VTe2 monolayer theoretically predicted to host an intrinsic magnetism as experimentally suggested. In this work, we successfully constructed a vertical heterostructure composed of the two-dimensional Bi(110) monolayer and 1T-VTe2 monolayer by using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements revealed that the growth of Bi preferably occurs along the step edges of the VTe2 monolayer, forming a Bi(110) monolayer on top of the VTe2 monolayer next to a peripheral Bi bilayer. The Bi(100)/VTe2 heterostructure exhibits a specific lattice registry with a well-defined moiré periodicity. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) measurements further unveiled an universal suppression in the local density-of-states at the boundary of the Bi(110)/VTe2 bilayer. By examining the atomic structures of Bi(110) boundaries, we found this effect does not originate from the previously proposed atomic reconstruction at the step edge of Bi(110), but is likely related to the magnetic properties of the VTe2 monolayer. 

Key words: Bi/VTe2 heterostructure, moiré pattern, edge state, molecular beam epitaxy; scanning tunneling microscopy

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