Fig. 1: Preparation and structural characterization of Cr2Te3 thin films on Si (111) substrate.
From: From Stoner to local moment magnetism in atomically thin Cr2Te3
a Crystal structure of Cr2Te3. Cr-filled layer (consisting of Cr2 and Cr3 atoms) and Cr-deficient layer (consisting of Cr1 atoms) stack alternatively. b RHEED patterns from Cr2Te3 along (1 1 −2) and (1 −1 0) orientations of Si (111) substrate, respectively. c Wide-angle 2θ-ω x-ray diffraction. Except for the typical peak from the substrate, the Cr2Te3 (004), (006), and (008) peaks are clearly observed. d, e Upper panels: atomic resolution images of 1 ML and 6 ML thin films. Lower panels: the corresponding line profiles along the orange and green cuts, respectively. Insets show the fast Fournier transformation analysis. Blue circles are the signals of the unit cell, whereas red circles denote the 2 × 2 reconstruction. Scanning parameters are V = −10.9 mV, I = 179 pA for 1 ML sample, and V = 39.3 mV, I = 100 pA for 6 ML sample. f The local CrTe6 cluster transforms from octahedral symmetry in 6 ML sample to trigonal symmetry in 2D limit. Accordingly, the degenerate t2g bands further split into a1g and egπ bands, as shown in the schematic diagram.
