Controlled layer growth and topological states in stanene studied by STM*

It is proposed that stanene (a single layer of Sn) is a two-dimensional topological insulator with a bandgap of more than 0.3 eV [1]. Moreover, its band structure and properties may be modulated with increasing thickness (layers), ranging from topological insulator, topological Dirac semimetal to zero gap semimetal [2-3]. We have grown high quality few layer Sn on B-faced InSb (111) through MBE and measured their structural and electronic properties by 400 mK STM. The topological properties of various trivial/non-trivial phases are also investigated in-situ in magnetic field. Main results and discussions will be presented.

[1]Yong Xu, et. al, Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 136804 (2013);
[2] Cai-Zhi Xu, et. al, Phys. Rev. B 97, 035122 (2018);
[3]Cai-Zhi Xu, et. al, Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 146402 (2017).