Topological material in the III-V family: Heteroepitaxial InBi on InAs

Abstract

InBi(0 01) is formed epitaxially on InAs(1 1 1)-A by depositing Bi onto an In-rich surface. Angle-resolved photoemission measurements reveal topological electronic surface states, close to the M high symmetry point. This demonstrates a heteroepitaxial system entirely in the III-V family with topological electronic properties. InBi shows coexistence of Bi and In surface terminations, in contradiction with other III-V materials. For the Bi termination, the study gives a consistent physical picture of the topological surface electronic structure of InBi(0 0 1) terminated by a Bi bilayer rather than a surface formed by splitting to a Bi monolayer termination. Theoretical calculations based on relativistic density functional theory and the one-step model of photoemission clarify the relationship between the InBi(0 01) surface termination and the topological surface states, supporting a predominant role of the Bi bilayer termination. Furthermore, a tight-binding model based on this Bi bilayer termination with only Bi-Bi hopping terms, and no Bi-In interaction, gives a deeper insight into the spin texture.